CBs
by CheerfulChemist
Summary: This is an AU story immediately post A Hole for Two and in the same universe, where Kate never left Castle , Rita's story was a lie and the AG team didn't die. Trying to find something more than paperwork and politics in her captaincy, Kate has formed an elite interdisciplinary team to solve challenging cases, Castle is on it, as well as still working as a PI. I own nothing Castle
1. Chapter 1

CBs

Chapter 1

Eyes closed, Kate reached out a hand to feel for Castle and found empty space. Yawning, she put on for her robe and went to find her husband. Castle was hunched over his laptop in concentration. "Babe, why are you still up? I thought you sent in the chapters you had due."

"I did," Castle confirmed. "I'm going over what we have on those kids that disappeared, trying to figure out what would have happened to them as if I were writing the story."

"Any luck?" Kate asked.

"In figuring out what happened to them, no," Castle admitted. "But I have found some similar attributes in their personalities, I'm just not sure where they'll lead."

"The team will be meeting tomorrow morning - correction this morning," Kate told him, catching sight of the time on the screen. "You can bring what you have and we can brainstorm. C'mon." Kate extended her hand. "The bed is lonely without you."

The corners of Castle's eyes crinkled as he rose to entwine his fingers with hers. "Can't have a lonely bed." They both slipped beneath the covers and Castle wrapped his arms around Kate as she spooned against his body, but his eyes stayed open as his thoughts still swirled.

* * *

Castle plunked three boxes of cronuts on the table in the conference room before returning to the break room to make a triple espresso. He'd functioned on less sleep - way less sleep - before, but he didn't want to disappoint Kate in front of the CBs, as the team had begun calling itself. The letters stood for captain's best, or was that beasts? In any case, he needed to deliver.

Stuck on a call with Deputy Chief Gates, Kate was the last one to arrive at the conference room table. "Let's do a quick round the room to see what everyone has," she suggested. "Let's start with Sergeant Seacrest."

Sylvie Seacrest unconsciously shook her thick ponytail off her shoulder. "I've surveyed the SVU cases. Unfortunately we've had some missing teens turn up seriously assaulted, but none of the ones Detective Morano presented in this case. If there has been sexual violence involved in this case, there's no evidence of it so far."

"Something to be grateful for," Kate commented as her husband breathed a sigh of relief beside her. "Garrett did you have a chance to analyze the computers and cell phones of the missing teens?"

"I did," retired cyber crimes officer Bill Garrett responded. "As Detective Morano reported at our first meeting, there wasn't anything in the emails or texts. But I did find one commonality. All the missing teens accessed a website called The Giving Heart. I couldn't see how that figured into their disappearances, but it can't be a coincidence."

"No it can't," Kate agreed. "Lopez?"

"This doesn't appear to involve gangs," Angela Lopez reported. "But I did find one connection, not a gang member, but the brother of one, Manuel Ramirez. Apparently the Fuerte didn't think Manuel was ready to be jumped in. He disappeared not long after they told him he'd have to wait. The Fuerte thought one of the other gangs might have snatched him, but none of them have claimed responsibility."

"Sergeant Lubens?" Kate prompted.

"If there's a robbery component, it's not a big one," Carl Lubens offered. "Several of the families reported keepsakes missing, nothing of real value. It was as if the kids who disappeared wanted to take something with them."

"Are you suggesting that the teens left willingly?" Kate queried

"It argues against abduction," Morano put in. "If they were snatched, they wouldn't have had the opportunity to grab anything like that."

Kate's brow wrinkled in thought. "Detective Chekov, any operations you know of that might have served as a lure.

The vice cop shook his salt and peppered head. "There are no signs that these kids were involved in gambling, and Morano has already eliminated prostitution."

"Ryan, Esposito, you have anything?" Kate inquired.

Ryan shrugged. "None of these kids has a connection to a homicide that we could find. Javi?"

"Even Manuel Ramirez hasn't been in serious trouble." Esposito added. "So far it all makes zero sense."

Kate could feel her husband moving restlessly in the chair beside her. "Castle?'

Rick cleared his throat. "I've been looking at all these kids, trying to come up with something that would tie them all together." He looked at Garrett. "Bill, I think the website you found is an important piece of the puzzle."

"How so?" Kate asked.

"These were good kids, in most cases very good kids. They were tutors, they helped out at their churches, they volunteered for various charities. I suspect even if we looked at Manuel further, you might find he had a helper type personality. That may be why The Fuerte weren't ready to accept him. They might have seen altruism as weakness. But that's just a guess. Here's what's not a guess. None of these kids were part of the in-crowd. They weren't popular. What they did, they did on their own. A website like The Giving Heart might have offered an attraction of some sort, a chance to belong to something bigger, with other kids who felt the way they did. Whoever runs it may have set it up as a lure."

Esposito grimaced. "A lure for what?"

"I don't know," Castle conceded, "but I'm willing to bet it had nothing to do with good works."

"Bill," Kate instructed, "I need you to track down everything you can on The Giving Heart. Morano, I need you to contact the kids' families and friends to see if they've heard any of the victims talking about it. Angela, talk to Manuel's brother and any of the other members of The Fuerte who might have heard Manuel discuss the site. And everyone, check through your past cases and see if The Giving Heart pops up anywhere. If you find anything, let the other members of the team know. Let's get going!"

The team members nodded their acknowledgment, before leaving the room. Kate grabbed Castle's arm and held him back as he started to follow. "You did a good job, Babe. You really helped tie everything together."

Castle ran a hand through his hair, unsuccessfully attempting to get it off his forehead. "That was at least as much Bill Garrett as it was me. But I'm glad we've got some kind a story now. I just hope it leads somewhere."

"It will Babe," Kate promised. "We've already made a lot of progress. But you should probably go home and catch a nap, if you can overcome that last espresso."

"So now you want to consign me to a lonely bed?" Castle pouted. "Not fair Kate."

"Castle, you know I've got a lot of things to do here besides run - what are you calling yourselves - the CBs. You haven't been to your PI office for a while. Alexis is back and I bet she's drummed up some business. Why don't you go catch up?" Kate reached behind him to grab the firm roundness beneath his jacket. "And then later we can open a bottle of wine and catch a nap together."

Castle gasped and then smiled. "Those kinds of naps I like."

Kate quickly scanned for curious eyes, to make sure her unprofessional behavior would not be observed, and pressed her lips to his. "Consider it a date."


	2. Chapter 2

CBs

Chapter 2

Kate returned to the loft after her shift to find it empty, but as she was shedding her coat, her cell buzzed with a text from Castle. "Have a case, but home soon. Bringing dinner. Open a red."

Kate smiled at the screen and went to the kitchen to peruse the offerings in Castle's wine rack. As always, Castle had the red wine that made her insides eager for action, not that she needed much help at that moment. When they'd been on the run, she'd become accustomed to being joined at the hip. It was no longer necessary, but that didn't mean she didn't miss him when he wasn't around, even when she had captainly duties to perform. Lanie wasn't far off the mark when she joked that Kate and Rick had a shared brain. They definitely were better together than apart, even if they were doing something purely platonic. But who wanted platonic anyway? Even though the scars from their capture and torture were still fresh, it was hard to get enough of him. Impossible really. She ran her hands up and down the wine bottle and hoped that the dinner he was bringing home was something they could eat quickly. Pulling a corkscrew from a drawer, she quickly uncorked the bottle.

The minutes seemed to drag, but it wasn't long before Castle showed up laden with moo shu pork, beef with snow peas, spare ribs, rice, and of course fortune cookies. He looked approvingly at the wine glasses on the table and the breathing bottle of red. He filled the crystal goblets, skillfully twisting the bottle to avoid drips. Kate was already opening the carry-out cartons.

Kate was savoring the last of her wine as Castle broke open a cookie and read the slip of paper out loud. "Your days will be full."

"That's certainly true, Babe," Kate opined. "You have two cases to work on now."

"Really one," Castle corrected. "My P.I. case, it's the disappearance of Lily Merchant."

"She's one of the kids on our team case!" Kate realized.

Castle nodded. "Her parents are aware the N.Y.P.D. is looking at the case hard and they know I'm involved, but they wanted more hours put in specifically on their daughter, so they hired me."

"So you're going to concentrate on Lily?" Kate asked.

"In a way, but I'm convinced if we find out what happened to Lily, we'll find out what happened to all the other missing kids."

"Isn't Lily's mother the president of a corporation?" Kate queried.

"She is," Castle confirmed. "Lilysoft Cosmetics."

"That's kind of sweet, she named her company after her daughter."

Castle shook his head and sighed. "Actually it looks like it might have been the other way around. Lilysoft had been around for five years before Lily was born. Ruby Merchant is a very busy lady. I got most of my information from Ted Merchant, the father, while Ruby took calls. Ted was the one who wanted to hire me."

"What does Ted do?" Kate questioned.

"He's a freelance journalist. Lots of domestic stuff. Sort of a male Martha Stewart. He stayed home with Lily when she was younger. We sort of bonded over that. Alexis was the one that first took his call, so he was aware of the whole father-daughter thing."

"So Castle, how are we going to handle this?" Kate wondered. "Are you going to be running your investigation out of your office or the precinct?"

"Both," Castle replied. "Obviously I'll be keeping you and the CBs up on everything I find. First thing tomorrow the housekeeper, Mandy Lewis, is supposed to help me go through all of Lily's things. They're pretty close and Mandy knows where everything is."

Kate pulled on Castle's collar. "What about tonight?"

"Tonight," Castle reminded her, unnecessarily, "you promised me a nap."

"So after we put dinner away shall I get you a bankie?" Kate teased.

Castle quickly scooped up the empty containers and dumped them in the trash. He turned back to Kate and drew her tightly against his groin. "I think we can find something better to hold onto than a bankie."

"I think we can," Kate agreed, taking his hand and leading the way to the bedroom. "I think I have the perfect thing for a nap. I'll be right back." Kate pulled a tiny garment from a drawer and headed for the bathroom.

Castle pulled impatiently at the buttons on the cuffs of his shirt, finally sending one skittering across the floor. The rest of his fastenings gave his anxious hands less of a fight and he was soon stripped down to his boxers.

Kate returned to the room, barely covered in a purple silk teddy with cutouts that teased Castle's vivid imagination, and invitingly pullable white satin ribbons. Castle swallowed. "Isn't that the one you said you didn't need when we were at Surprise Shack?"

"That was the surprise," Kate purred. "I went back and bought it. I couldn't resist the purple."

"You're not the only one who can't resist it," Castle responded. "Come here."

Kate stepped back a couple of inches. "Why don't you come and get me?

Castled covered the distance in record time, scooping her up in his arms and rapidly dumping her on the bed with a bounce, before joining her.

Kate reached for the bulge under his shorts. "And here I thought you needed a nap. You feel pretty alert to me."

"We'll just have to see how much more awake I can get." Castle lifted Kate and pulled her above him to straddle the area under discussion. His mouth found the pouting pink nubs exposed by the peek-a-boo design of Kate's adornment. Pressing against his seeking tongue, Kate slipped her hands beneath his shorts, raising herself to pull them away from his rapidly growing insistence. She could feel the heat of his breath against her breasts as her hand encircled him. Her fingers stroked as his tongue twirled, a rush of blood further exciting what was already exquisitely sensitized. Kate raised herself again, sheathing him as she fell back. Their mouths collided hard, tongues darting and twining. Kate rode him with increasing urgency, her fingers digging into his back. He reached between them to the seat of her desperation, fingers massaging the moist engorgement. He swallowed Kate's moans as she struggled for even more pressure, more friction. At last, her head fell back in a final scream of triumph and his body gave its answer.

For moments they could only breathe, muscles limp with release and exhaustion. Finally they separated, Kate rolling to lie next to Castle. Castle's eyes slowly drifted shut as his breathing became deeper and more even. Kate squirmed uncomfortably against the satin sheet. "What's wrong?" Castle asked drowsily. "Scars from our adventure with Hammett still tender? What we just did beats Pilates all to hell but it was still quite a workout."

"No," Kate admitted. "I feel great, I'm just in the puddle."

Castle tried and failed to suppress a laugh.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

"Not funny, wonderful. You just sounded so married." Castle edged away to give her room and patted the bed next to him. "Just come sleep on my side. We'll snuggle."

Kate pressed herself against the warmth of his bare skin, her head pillowed on his chest. She sighed contentedly. "This is the only way to finish a nap."


	3. Chapter 3

CBs

Chapter 3

Mandy Lewis ushered Castle into Lily Merchant's bedroom. There was a bare spot on the desk where Bill Garrett had removed the laptop, but everything else was in good order, perhaps too good. "Do you clean in here?" Castle asked.

"I do the vacuuming when I do the rest of the house and I put her clothes away when they come out of the laundry or come back from the cleaners, but Lily takes care of the rest herself," Mandy replied. "She's always been organized, ever since she was a preschooler."

"You've known her a long time?" Castle queried.

Mandy swiped at her eyes. "Since she was born. I've been the Merchant's housekeeper for twenty years, ever since Mrs. Merchant started Lilysoft."

Castle smiled a reassurance. "We're going to find her Mrs. Lewis. Now you said you put away her clothes, so you've been in her drawers and her closet. If she wanted to keep something private, it wouldn't be in either of those places." Castle began to look around the room, opening storage containers and keepsake boxes and snapping pictures of everything with his phone. Nothing jumped out to him as significant. "Mrs. Lewis, is there anywhere else in the apartment or the building Lily likes to be, or where she might keep some of her things?"

Mandy thought for a moment and nodded. "Each apartment has a storage area in the basement. They are private and locked. All of Lily's things from when she was younger, except the toys and clothes she gave to charity, are there. She goes down there sometimes. She told me she likes to remember."

"Do you have a key?" Castle asked.

Mandy nodded. "There's one hanging in the kitchen."

* * *

To Castle, the contents of the storage area looked unremarkable. Shelves were filled with old tax records and outdated electronics awaiting recycling or disposal. Lily had her own small section. The tattered remains of an old blanket were lovingly wrapped in tissue paper. A bedraggled stuffed dog occupied his own carefully padded box. Cardboard tubes held posters of boy bands and teen heart throbs whose popularity had waned. Castle noticed one small heart shaped carved wooden box that would have looked more at home on a dresser than a storage shelf. "Do you know what that is?" he asked Mandy.

Mandy shook her head. "I've never seen it before."

Pulling on gloves, Castle carefully opened the box. Inside lay a collection of tiny gold hearts, each inscribed with "TGH."

"The giving heart," Castle murmured. "Mrs. Lewis, do you know where she got these?'

"I have no idea - well maybe. She got little envelopes in the mail with just a heart as a back address. I never opened Lily's mail, but it felt like there was something in them. It could have been these. Do you think they mean something?"

Castle pursed his lips in thought. "I think they might. I'm going to take these and turn them over to the crime lab. Maybe we'll get lucky."

* * *

Castle returned to his office to write up his notes on Lily Merchant and emailed them to Ted Merchant, to Kate, and to the other CBs. Alexis wandered in from her desk in reception. "Dad, I've been going over the books for Richard Castle investigations."

"So what's the bad news?" Castle asked.

"There isn't any," Alexis replied. "I was probably over enthusiastic when I ordered so much of the scotch you like, but with the profit you made from the cases you picked up after you found that multi-million dollar dongle, the cases I closed, and the retainer from Ted Merchant, we're actually in the black."

"That's certainly going to be a surprise your grandmother," Castle said. "She's been ragging on me about this place being a money pit for months. I'd suggest a celebration, but not while all those kids are missing."

"We can have one when you find them," Alexis suggested. "It will be the first case solved by the CB's."

"Let's just hope it is solved," Castle cautioned. "Right now we're not even close. But I picked up a new clue this morning. I just dropped it off at CSU."

"What?" Alexis inquired.

Castle used his phone to show her a picture of the hearts.

"I think I've seen something like those before," Alexis told him. "When I was at Marlowe Academy I joined a service club. You remember. We did canned food drives, collected books for school libraries, filled wishes at Christmas time. Every time the club finished a project, the participants would get a little thing like that, except they said 'MASC' instead of 'TGH.'"

"That would really fit," Castle mused. "Lily loved activities f like that. If she was in a service group that came out of The Giving Hearts website, the other kids might have been too. I'll send a note to the CBs to check if any of the other kids got those hearts, maybe we can trace them down. Ryan is really good at that kind of thing. Hey, don't you have a class?"

Alexis nodded. "Mm. But I have time. It's forensics and after interning with Lanie, I can do it in a walk."

Castle motioned to the chair in front of his desk as he dashed off a text. "Talk to me for a minute."

Alexis dropped into the chair. "What's going on, Dad?"

"That's what I was going to ask you. Last year you came to me worried that you hadn't found your passion. I was wondering if you have now, if this place, your work here, is it? You seem to spend more time here than you do with your friends or at school. Does my daughter want to be a P.I.?"

"I think I do Dad, but I have to put in the time. When you got your license you fulfilled the three years of experience requirement with your work with Kate. I need a place to try my hand at solving cases too," Alexis explained. "A lot of the science courses I've taken work for criminalistics. The courses I took when I was working on the Innocence Project with Professor MacDonald help too. I'm filling in the rest of what I need this year. By the time I finish working here long enough to qualify for a license, I should know if I really want one, or if I should go to law school, graduate school, or medical school. But I think this is it, Dad. I've always liked working out scenarios with you for your books and now I'm doing it for real. We both are. Even though she's a captain, you still get to work with Kate and I get to work with you. It feels right."

* * *

At the loft, Castle lay on the couch with his head in Kate's lap. Kate popped a grape into his mouth. "So Babe, Alexis wants to be a P.I.. How do you feel about that?"

"Uneasy," Castle admitted. "I wish she'd chosen something safer. If she's interested in forensics, why can't she be in a nice lab somewhere?"

"And why do you run around the streets of New York solving cases when you could just stay in the loft writing books? I know when you started, a lot of that was about chasing me, regardless of your excuses about research for your books. But we've been together for years. I'm here with you, but you still need the action," Kate asserted.

"It's true," Castle conceded.

"Alexis is your daughter, very much your daughter," Kate pointed out. "Face it, we're a crime-solving family."

Castle pulled her lips to his for a kiss. "I suppose there are worse things to be. But I'm still considering hiring Alexis a bodyguard."

Kate cupped his cheek. "I'm sure you are."


	4. Chapter 4

CBs

Chapter 4

As the team gathered around the table, Castle made an amused note to himself that Esposito had maneuvered his way into a seat next to Angela Lopez. "As you know, Castle is working as an investigator for the Merchant family and has found additional evidence of the involvement of The Giving Heart." Kate announced. "Follow up reports?"

"Manuel Ramirez's brother said he saw Manuel give one of those gold hearts to one of the girls who hangs around The Fuerte," Angela offered. "Whatever Lily Merchant was involved with, Manuel was involved too."

"I checked with the other families," Kyle Morano added, "None of them saw any hearts, but a couple of them did see the envelopes with the heart back addresses."

"I canvassed some of our more cooperative working women and some of the men as well, and none of them has ever seen a heart like that either," Sergei Chekov relayed.

"There were no hearts associated with any of the sexual assaults we've been investigating," Sylvie Seacrest reported. "I think we can be certain that whatever the motivation is for whomever is engineering these disappearances, it isn't sexual. He or she may have a taste for the innocent."

Castle gave a little shudder. "That sounds even freakier."

"Not necessarily," Sylvie asserted. "He could be some kind of twisted nurturer. That could mean that he'll want to keep the kids safe, unless they do something to set him off. We just have to hope they don't."

"I developed a group of possible manufacturers and distributors of those hearts," Ryan put in. "Esposito and I have been tracking them down."

"They would likely be engraved at the point of sale," Esposito added. "We don't have that point yet, but I've sent samples of hearts from multiple sources to the lab to see if we can get a match to the metal in the one that Lily Merchant had. The lab also found a partial print, they were able to exclude Lily, but the print wasn't in the system."

"Bill?" Kate prompted.

"The ownership of The Giving Hand runs through a series of shell corporations. The registrar for the domain has contracted to keep the holder private. We'll need to get a warrant. It would have to be under Captain Beckett's name, but it's in process. The judge wasn't sure we had enough evidence to justify one, but I can add the new evidence to the affidavit," Bill Garrett offered.

"We could try Judge Markaway," Castle suggested. "I let him take a mulligan last time we played and he owes me."

Kate suppressed a smile. "Alright, we can continue when we have lab results and something from Bill's warrant. Thanks everyone."

Castle stayed behind when the rest of the team members left. "What are you thinking, Babe?" Kate asked.

"Did you see Espo eyeing Angela Lopez? He was about as subtle as an Uzi. I think she's his new crush. But about the case, Alexis was talking to me about the service club she was in at Marlowe Prep. I was thinking about checking social media for other service clubs. There could be overlapping memberships," Castle speculated. "Someone in one of them might know something about The Giving Heart."

"There must be hundreds of them. That is one huge haystack," Kate imagined. "That's going to be a hell of a lot of work."

"Well that is what Castle investigations is getting paid for. And Alexis will want to help. Maybe she'll find the drudgery of P.I. work less attractive," Castle hoped. "We can spend the rest of the day slaving over hot computers."

"See you home later?" Kate wondered. "Or I can meet you at your office."

Castle sighed. "Not nearly as much fun with the red headed chaperone around. I'll see you at the loft, but it may be late."

Kate's phone buzzed, alerting her to a text. She grimaced as she glanced at it. "Then we'll both be late. There's some kind of a pow wow at 1PP and my presence is emphatically requested."

"I hope it's not about the team," Castle worried.

Kate shook her head. "No mention of it. More likely the commissioner has a bug up his ass about the budget. I haven't asked for anything extra for the team."

"So whoever gets home first cooks?" Castle proposed.

"Sounds good," Kate agreed.

Kate didn't make it back to loft until nine P.M., but she was still first. She stuck her head in the freezer, spying two rib eye steaks. She knew they were Castle's favorite, but by the time she and Rick got around to eating them, they could lay pretty heavily in their stomachs and she already had enough to give her nightmares. Other than getting to fill Deputy Chief Gates in on the lives of the cops at the 12th, the trip to 1PP was not pleasant. Drug crime in the city had been decreasingly steadily since Bracken's organization had been dismantled, which should have been good news. But seizures of drug money and auctionable items had also been on a downward slide. The funds that had been used to provide extras had been drying up and all the captains had been urged to tighten their belts. That meant the authorization of overtime only in extreme emergencies - which came down to meaning only for cases that were so high profile as to embarrass the N.Y.P.D. if they went unsolved. No layoffs were proposed, but positions open by attrition would not be filled until further notice. The case closure rate, however, was expected to stay at present levels or rise. Three of her most experienced men were due to retire soon and she would have to do more with less - much less. It was a good thing Castle worked for free - at least for the department. She gave some thought to building a squad of civilian volunteers, but she had no funds to train them. Then she thought about Bill Garrett. He was happily giving his services gratis. Maybe there were other retired cops who still wanted to keep their hands in the game. Sergei Chekov, her CB from Vice, was getting close to retirement age. She imagined he had friends who had already arrived there. She'd have to ask him to put out some feelers.

Acid was creeping up Kate's throat and she studied the contents of the refrigerator. There were chicken breasts she could cut into strips and marinate. There were also a couple of impressive red peppers. She could cut those up as well and get a pan ready. Then when Castle came home, she could do a quick stir fry. Tortillas and white wine would complete the meal, with some grapes for dessert. It would be light and most of all quick.

Kate pulled out her phone to see if Castle could give her an ETA. His cell went to voice mail, but she left a message for him to call her back. He did, not long afterward. His voice sounded rough, but he assured her he was fine and right downstairs and he'd explain when he saw her. When he made his way through the door of the loft, she could see that his shirt was torn. "Babe, what happened?"

"I went to Little Italy. I thought I'd get Alexis some of those pastries she loves," Castle explained. "She put in a lot of work and came up with zip and I didn't do any better. Anyway, when I was getting off the subway, I saw a teenager with what looked like one of those TGH hearts dangling from a bracelet. I started to follow her to ask her about it and two guys grabbed me. Turns out she's the daughter of one of Dino Scarpella's lieutenants. I explained who I am and finally Dino vouched for me and had the girl, Theresa Cellini, talk to me. Kate, It was worth ruining a shirt."


	5. Chapter 5

CBs

Chapter 5

Castle sniffed. "Is that your chicken marinade I smell? I'm starving. Getting grabbed by the mob always works up my appetite."

Kate stretched up for a quick kiss and caressed his cheek. "You are all right," she confirmed for herself. "Tell me what Theresa Cellini said, while I make the stir fry."

"Deal," Castle agreed. Kate stirred the contents of a hot pan while he talked. "Teresa is one of those kids who feels a little guilty being part of the 'family' even though she has no involvement in the 'family business.' So she tries to help out any way she can, sort of as compensation. She goes to the Catholic Prep School, Saint Nicholas, very heavily supported by Dino."

Kate rolled her eyes as she cooked. "Appropriate. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of thieves."

"Good point," Castle conceded. "Anyway, it is a Santa Claus school and they're pretty heavily into giving. Theresa is part of the service club there. She also follows The Giving Heart website. The website sends out envelopes with URL's for forums, different ones, so Bill wouldn't have found the same one on all the computers of the kids who disappeared. They're supposed to be keyed by local area. So the kids on the forums discuss local projects and decide which ones to do. Sometimes they set things up online. If it's multi-area, they'll get one of those envelopes with the heart back addresses, telling them where to go. The kids show up and do whatever it is. Then they get one of those hearts."

"So what's the big secret?" Kate wondered. "Why don't they tell their parents?"

"The whole thing is built around Matthew 6.3," Castle explained. "'But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.' The kids are convinced that the guy who runs The Giving Heart won't think as much of them if they talk about what they do. He's also convinced them that God won't give them credit for anything they do if they talk about it. That's why they're not supposed to tell anyone what the hearts are for. I doubt Theresa would have told me either if Dino hadn't made her. Seems the local god trumps the celestial one."

Kate dumped the sizzling contents of the skillet onto two plates she had ready and pulled tortillas out of a warm oven. Castle poured the chilled wine. They both attacked their dinners before Kate asked any more questions. "So did Theresa give you the URL of her forum?"

Castle swallowed. "She didn't have it with her. She said the address is complicated. But she's going to text it to me. She saved her envelopes and one of Dino's guys will be dropping them by my office. Dino doesn't like the idea of anyone preying on children, especially 'family' children. So his people will be keeping their ears open and they'll be having the staff at Saint Nicholas do the same."

"Nice to know," Kate responded. "But I think I'll keep Dino's involvement out of any official reports. Your association with him has caused more than enough trouble already, even if it did unmask a dirty cop and solve a murder. We don't need 1PP seeing his name. The information you got so far can be attributed to Theresa Cellini and anything from Dino comes from a CI."

"I suppose that's wise," Castle agreed grudgingly. "I don't want to get kicked out of the precinct again and it wouldn't look good for you either. So how was your day?" Kate explained about the meeting at 1PP. "Sounds like you got roughed up more than I did. It I had known, I would have had Dino's guys stop at Remy's when they were bringing me home. I could have picked you up a strawberry shake."

"Nice thought Castle, but I think the wine is helping - and having you back safe."

Castle sipped the rest of his wine and raised an eyebrow. "And now that you have me, what will you do with me?"

"Well," Kate considered, "I cooked, so you need to take care of the dishes."

Castle nodded. "That's fair. But there's not much to wash. Then what?"

Kate reached under the table and ran a hand up his thigh. "I'm sure I'll think of something."

Castle pushed his chair back with a loud scrape. "I'll wash fast."

Kate went to the bedroom while Castle hurriedly cleaned up the kitchen. She searched through the prodigious amount of sexy lingerie Rick had purchased for her and the things she'd bought herself. Nothing seemed right for the mood. She checked Castle's closet. A shirt jumped out at her, the one he'd worn for the first poker game they'd played during the first year they'd worked together. The collar and cuffs were frayed. Castle usually disposed of his shirts when they got in that condition, but he'd hung onto that one, claiming it was lucky. He hadn't been the big winner that night. She'd taken the final pot, although later Martha had clued her in that Castle had thrown the hand. She'd been angry at the time, viewing Castle's gesture as patronizing. She gave him back his winnings, but she'd later realized that far from being a sign of disrespect, he was just trying to be nice and make her look good in front of her colleagues. At that point, his generosity was something she'd yet to discover. Now, she couldn't imagine how she'd believed he was the selfish twit she'd tried back then to tell herself he was. The shirt was a reminder of how far they'd come. She fingered the thinning fabric before shedding her clothes and replacing them with the shirt.

Castle's face split in a grin when he saw her. "Does this mean I'm getting lucky tonight?"

"It means we're we're both getting lucky," she replied, pulling at buttons that remained on the shirt he wore. He helped her rid him of the ruined garment. His shoes and the rest of his clothes followed quickly. The lucky shirt slipped to the floor as well.

The bed beckoned and Castle pulled back the covers for Kate. She shivered against the cool sheet. "Let's generate some heat," he suggested, covering her with the warmth of his body. Their lips came together, the tang of wine and the sweetness of grapes still on their tongues. They shared the taste. Slipping his hands beneath her firmly rounded posterior, Castle lifted Kate against the hottest part of his body. "Warmer now?"

"Hotter by the second," she responded, finding his mouth with hers again, before Castle pulled back, lowering his attentions to upward thrust of her breasts. She arched in his embrace, struggling for more. He was anxious to give it, their most intimate parts growing even more greedy as the friction grew between them. Kate thrust her hand between their bodies, guiding him to the need screaming within her. They came together hard, Kate's legs lifting until they were almost behind her head, then wrapping around him, pulling him ever deeper. She could feel him beginning to let go, even as the waves began to push their way outward through her. The end was almost simultaneous and Castle gathered Kate close through the aftershocks. Finally they rested together, her head nestled into his chest. He softly kissed her now sweaty locks. "The Castle lucky shirt triumphs again."


	6. Chapter 6

CBs

Chapter 6

Castle rubbed the fog out of his eyes to see Kate getting dressed. "You're getting an early start. I don't even smell coffee yet."

"No, I'll get some when I get to the precinct. Besides, I got the best kind of jolt last night. I have a lot of things to handle and I want to see if it makes sense to set up another meeting for the CBs," Kate explained. "You'll call me when you get the URL and the envelopes from Theresa?"

Castle pulled himself up against the headboard and grinned at her. "Happy to be of service - in any capacity."

Kate sat on the edge of the bed for a quick kiss. "Glad to hear it, but I really gotta go." She strode quickly for the door.

Castle leaned back for a moment still savoring the feel of her morning kiss on his mouth, before he climbed out of bed. Pulling on a robe, he made his way to the kitchen to make coffee. Kate might have been able to get away without it, but he still needed the caffeinated comfort, especially after her hasty exit.

* * *

Kate surveyed the pile of paper that had accumulated on her desk since she'd left the day before for the meeting at 1PP, and was instantly sorry that she hadn't had coffee. She headed for the break room wishing that even using Castle's coffee making gift to homicide, she could equal his special touch. Maybe he'd be around later.

After decreasing her pile to a small stack, Kate called Sergei Chekov. "I'm sorry I can't say I have anything more on the disappearances, Captain," he responded, after they exchanged pleasantries.

Kate let him know that wasn't what she was calling about and pitched her idea about using retired officers. "I do have a couple of people in mind I think might be interested," Chekov offered thoughtfully. "I'll reach out and let you know." Kate thanked him and told him she'd be looking forward to it, before ending the call. That was one more project underway. She was hesitant to call another meeting of the CBs until she heard from Castle, so she turned her attention back to her remaining responsibilities to the N.Y.P.D. bureaucracy.

Castle's call came close to noon. "Hey, I'm sending Teresa's Forum URL to you and Bill Garrett, with Theresa's password. There's some interesting stuff there. I've noticed that they refer to their leader as Matthew, which makes some kind of sense with the scripture they use. I have the envelopes too. Dino had his guy wear gloves so his prints don't show up."

"Yeah, that would be awkward," Kate acknowledged. "What about Theresa's prints?"

They're on file as a guard against abduction, her DNA too. Dino takes care of his own," Castle noted. "The envelopes are bagged, so I thought I'd drop them by the lab and bring you lunch, unless you don't have time."

The burn in Kate's stomach reminded her that she'd had nothing but coffee. "I have time," she readily agreed. "See you soon."

Castle showed up with thick burgers, crisp fries, a strawberry shake, and a Dr. Pepper®. He and Kate shared one of the high tables in the break room. "How was your morning?" he asked, after Kate had taken a long swig of her shake.

"Busy," she replied, but told him about her call to Sergei Chekov.

"Sounds like you're going to make this place work no matter what 1PP throws at you." Castle told her, reaching across the table and popping a fry in her mouth. "Not that I would have expected anything less."

"Nothing is what I expected," Kate confided. "Maybe it's because my tenure got off to such a weird start, but it seems like I'm still feeling my way."

Castle wiggled his eyebrows and put a hand lightly on her leg. "I like how you feel your way very much."

Kate choked, sending bits of potato flying. "Castle! Not in here. Anyone could walk in."

Castle used a paper napkin to wipe his face. "So what? Can't a man flirt with his wife, even if she is the captain? The cops around here know you're human Kate, and they're fine with it. Cut yourself some slack. Montgomery always did and even Gates cut loose occasionally, although she usually cut loose on me."

"You're right Castle, I'm just still really nervous. Speaking of nervous, how did Alexis react to your being grabbed yesterday?"

Castle shifted uncomfortably on his stool. "I didn't tell her. She had a class this morning and didn't come in. I didn't see any reason to call her. I just left a note behind that I found a connection to the service club at Saint Nicholas and checked it out, so she doesn't go chasing after it when she comes in."

"You know Castle, she's handled much worse things than that," Kate reminded him. "If you two are going to work together, you can't go keeping secrets about a case."

"This from the queen of playing it close to the vest," Castle responded. "But you have a point. I suppose I'm not comfortable telling Alexis, not just because she'll worry about me, but because I'm still not comfortable with the whole idea of her seeing a future as a P.I."

"Because you worry about her?" Kate questioned.

"A twenty-two year old habit is hard to break," Castle admitted.

Kate nodded. "I get it. The devoted father part of you is one of the things I've always found most attractive about you, even if it can be a pain in the ass."

"And a very fine ass it is. But much as I'd like to hang around admiring it, I need to get back to the office. I'm going over connections of abduction cases to anyone named Matthew. I know it's a long shot, but maybe something will turn up. It's better than waiting around for lab results."

"Almost anything is better than waiting for lab results," Kate agreed. "I'll call you if I need you for the CBs."

Castle squeezed her hand before sliding from his stool. "I'll be looking forward to it."

Not long after Castle left, Kate received the results from the warrant Bill Garrett had requested. The Giving Hand's domain was owned by a corporation whose only address was a P.O. Box. She called in Ryan and Esposito to ask them to trace it down. Esposito made a point of asking when the next CBs meeting would be, in a way that seemed totally unrelated to the case. He seemed very disappointed when Kate told him she'd have to let him know. Kate smiled to herself, pretty sure she knew why. Well she wanted another meeting too, not just to move the case along, but to give Castle an excuse to come back to the precinct. The one thing she missed most about being a detective, was that when Castle was her partner, her never needed an excuse.

Ryan popped his head in a couple of hours later. "Captain, the P.O. Box company wants a warrant to tell us who owns that box. I'm working on the affidavit. But we also found the company that manufactures hearts with an analysis that matches the one's Lily Merchant had. Javi's going to check it out."

Kate sighed. There was no reason to disrupt everyone's schedules to call a meeting. There still was way too much outstanding information. She and Espo would both have to wait.


	7. Chapter 7

CBs

Chapter 7

Ryan and Esposito came to the open doorway of Kate's office. Ryan knocked softly on the door frame and Kate looked up from her newest deluge of emails. "What have you got?"

"The name and address of the guy who rented the P.O. box are bogus," Ryan reported. "There are surveillance cameras but they only keep the video for a few days and it's been longer than that since anyone picked up the mail from that box. The clerk says it only gets collected about once a week, if that."

"What about a description?" Kate asked. "Did the clerk see him?"

Ryan shook his head. "The box was rented years ago and they've been through five clerks since then. The mail's picked up after hours, so no one ever sees who does it. We'll have to scrub the video from every night until someone shows up again. That will probably take days."

"Espo?" Kate inquired.

Esposito shook his head in disgust. "Those hearts are sold to stores all over town and all over the country. Most of them do engraving. I'm working my way through the list, but unless I get lucky..."

"Okay, stay with it," Kate instructed. Ryan and Esposito started to walk away when Kate's phone rang with a call from the lab. "Guys, hold on a minute."

Kate listened to the report. "What?" Espo questioned when she'd finished.

"The lab got some DNA results off the hearts Lily had. It took a while because there wasn't much and they weren't sure they'd amplified it properly. Neither one was in the system, but they said it looked like father and daughter."

"That's not so weird," Esposito opined. "It's probably Ted and Lily Merchant. They're supposed to be close right? Maybe Ted's DNA got on the hearts somehow."

Kate was unconvinced. "Yeah, maybe."

Castle joined them, breathing hard after skipping the elevator and running up the stairs. "Alexis came in this morning and I was telling her about my so far fruitless search for Matthews. She remembered something. Ted Merchant signed his check 'M. Edward Merchant.' We checked. The 'M' stands for Matthew."

Kate chewed on her lip. "All this could still be a coincidence. Castle can you get a sample of Lily's DNA, get Mandy Lewis to give you her toothbrush or something?"

"Of course," Castle responded.

"And I'll get the lab to run the DNA from the hearts against the envelopes we got from Theresa." Kate added. "Ryan, stay on top of the video from the P.O. box store and Espo, track down who got those hearts engraved. Meanwhile, let's get Ted Merchant's DMV photo and distribute it to the CB's, especially Morano and Lopez. Let's find out if any of their contacts have seen him."

"I'll make sure Angela gets it," Esposito put in hurriedly, to Kate's amusement.

Kate waved Ryan and Esposito away from her office. "Okay, get to it! Castle, stay a minute." Castle closed the door behind him and sat on the couch. Kate leaned forward in her chair, her forearms on her thighs. "Babe, there's one thing that doesn't make sense. If Ted Merchant is behind all this, why would he hire you?"

Castle sighed. "Actually it makes perfect sense. He knew I was involved with the investigation. He plays the concerned father. He has me give him regular progress reports. What better way to monitor the investigation? He's playing me, Kate. It's not like it hasn't happened before."

Kate went to sit beside him, taking his hand. "Babe, it's happened to both of us. I'm the one who believed Vikram that Rachel and the others were dead. And I believed Rita when she told me she was your stepmother. I moved on from that and we caught the guy behind all of it. If Ted Merchant is the one responsible for these disappearances, we'll get him too. I promise."

Castle smiled halfheartedly. "Good thing Ted's check cleared."

"So what are you going to do now?" Kate asked.

"I'm going to act like a P.I. and run a deep background check on Ted Merchant. I'll read his articles too. Maybe something will lead us to the kids."

Kate hissed in frustration. "I'd love to put a surveillance team on him, but under the new budget rules, until we have more, I can't justify the cost."

"I can ask Hayley to do it," Castle suggested. "She knows how to take care of herself and if it turns out Ted really is our guy, I'll have Alexis send Ruby Merchant the bill."

"Fine Castle," Kate agreed, "but stay close, okay?"

Castle caressed the back of her hand, making little circles with his thumb. "As if I'd ever want to do anything else."

* * *

Hayley Shipton parked her van at a discreet distance from the building where the Merchants owned their apartment. She was prepared for a long wait. She had drinks, snacks, and portable facilities. With Ted doing his writing from home, she didn't expect him to emerge too often. She was also unconvinced of Castle's suspicions, but she would do the job he paid her for, and even though she'd had to indulge in some dickering with Alexis, he paid pretty well.

The door of the building was easily visible though binoculars, but it would be difficult to watch it that way for any period of time. She'd planted a camera at the entrance that would send a signal to a monitor in the van and also to her tablet. She had only to sit, watch, and wait. She opened the wrapping on a generously stuffed kosher pastrami sandwich and took a bite of a huge pickle. Working in New York did have its advantages.

* * *

Castle leaned over his computer at his office, studying the writings of Ted Merchant. There was a lot that appealed. Castle had already picked up some great tips on making lump free gravy and maintaining spotless crystal. But whatever the domestic advice, there was a continuing theme: perfection. Unlike some of the cooking shows which featured a handful of this or a sprinkling of that, Ted was always precise. Measurements had to be dead on level, or better still by weight. The ribbon on a wreath had to form a flawless bow and place mats always coordinated with stoneware or china. And Ted never, never, allowed substitutions.

Castle wondered how Ted had made it through the messy, imperfect years of raising a daughter. Or maybe he didn't. Maybe that's why Lily was so close to Mandy. With a mother whose sole focus was on business and a father obsessed with perfection, a child would look for a more understanding surrogate. Ted's tales of the vagaries of raising his daughter could have been just that. So what would he want with a bunch of teenagers? The case grew more confusing by the minute. Discouraged, Castle closed his laptop.

Alexis had gone back to Columbia to catch a night lecture. It was well past time for Kate to be off shift and with the prohibitions against overtime, there was no reason she shouldn't be at the loft. He pulled out his phone to check. Kate sounded distracted. Ray Edelson, the lieutenant from robbery, had come to the aid of a mugging victim and had been injured. Kate didn't know how bad it was, but she was on her way to the hospital to check on him. Castle told her he'd meet her there.


	8. Chapter 8

CBs

Chapter 8

When Castle arrived at the waiting room, Kate was there with CB Sergeant Carl Lubens, Tom Demming, and several other detectives from robbery. Castle stared at Demming for a moment while unconsciously rubbing his wedding ring, then turned his attention to Kate. "How's he doing?"

"Ray managed to take the mugger down but they ended up in the street. He got hit by a truck and his femur is broken in four places," Kate explained. "The breaks are bad. Some of the bone is missing. It's not life threatening and they're doing their best to put him back together, but they told his wife that if he's ever going to be a hundred percent again, it may take multiple surgeries and maybe months or years to heal."

"Where is his wife?" Castle asked.

Lubens pointed down the hall. "She couldn't get a sitter, so she's in the family room with their kids. Her mother is coming to take them, but she has to come up from South Jersey. Miriam and my wife are friends. Judy's on her way over now to help with kids until Miriam's mother gets here."

"Can I help? Do they need anything in there?" Castle asked.

"Maybe something to eat," Lubens suggested. "Miriam is glatt kosher, you know, the really strict kind. Nothing around here will work for her. Her mother is supposed to be bringing something but she's a ways out yet."

Castle nodded, pulling out his phone. "I know a guy." Castle headed for the family room to take Miriam's order. He returned a few minutes later. "It's going to be all dairy. That's the only thing He could do fast. But the food's on its way."

"Babe, where did you get a guy?" Kate asked. "It's not your usual research thing. There's nothing like that kind of kosher in any of your books."

"Kellerman introduced me," Castle explained. "He threw a bash and this guy catered. Best blintzes I've ever had in my life. I've had him do a couple of parties. He's a good guy. He was more than happy to help."

Kate smiled and shook her head. "Castle, your circle of friends continues to amaze me."

Castle sat down beside her. "And you always continue to amaze me. What are you going to do about Robbery Division.? 1PP isn't going to let you pull in another lieutenant right now, are they?"

"No. Carl will be picking up the slack. Robbery isn't a component of the team's current case and may not be for many of them, so I think he can handle it. I'll get him all the help I can, maybe a retired detective. And when Edelson comes back, he'll be stuck behind a desk for God knows how long. But I have an idea about that. I'll just have to see how it goes. Right now we just have to support him and the family through his recovery."

"Anything they need, you just have to let me know," Castle told her.

Kate squeezed his hand. "Yeah Babe, I know."

* * *

At midnight Hayley Shipton had about decided that Ted Merchant was probably in for the night, when she saw a figure on her monitor. The entrance to the building was lit well enough that she could make out her quarry. "And just where are you off to?" she muttered to herself, taking her place behind the wheel. Merchant climbed into the driver's seat of a Cadillac Escalade and took off going north. Hayley followed. Merchant drove to a warehouse in the Bronx and entered with the swipe of a key card. Hayley called Castle to report what she'd seen.

Castle arrived at the warehouse with Kate, followed shortly by Esposito and Angela Lopez. Kate threw Castle a look he immediately recognized as a warning that if he said anything about the couple, he was in serious trouble. "Merchant is still in there," Hayley assured them. There hasn't been anyone in or out."

"What do you think he's doing in there?" Esposito asked.

"No idea," Kate responded, "But going to a warehouse in the middle of the night? It can't be anything good."

"We need a look in there," Castle insisted. "What if he's got the kids?"

"Castle, we don't have a warrant." Kate reminded him.

"You may need one, but I don't," Castle asserted. "Merchant hired me to pursue this case and that's what I'm doing. He told me he'd help me anyway he could. Well I'll hold him to that. I just don't know how to get in."

"I have fiber optics in the van. We can steal a look under the door and decide where to go from there," Hayley suggested.

"Alright," Kate agreed.

Hayley threaded the tube under the door. Not much was visible, but what was, looked more like an opulently furnished home than a warehouse. There was no sign of Ted Merchant or any of the missing teenagers.

"Well that's freaky," Castle commented.

"But not very helpful," Kate added.

"Look, that lock isn't much. I've defeated many that are a lot more complex. I can get in there," Hayley proposed. "I'm working for Castle, not the N.Y.P.D.. If I see any of the kids, I report it and you've got probable cause."

"C'mon Kate," Castle urged. "There's no way to know. Ted could go wacko at any minute."

Setting her teeth, Kate nodded. "Do it Hayley, but be careful."

Hayley pulled some tools from her van and with Castle holding a flashlight, set to work on the locking mechanism. Within two minutes it was open. Carefully she slipped inside to what looked like a formal drawing room. Antique furniture held a high polish. Paintings graced the walls and not a speck of dust was evident anywhere. She continued beyond to a gourmet kitchen. Stainless steel appliances gleamed. Fresh fruit was artistically arranged on a counter and canisters were perfectly aligned on shelves. She continued through to a hallway containing a number of doors. She thought she heard soft weeping behind one of them. It was locked, but she picked it quickly and slowly peered inside. One of the missing girls lay red-eyed in bed. The girl gasped when she saw Hayley, who quickly put a finger to her lips and whispered she was there to help. Hayley asked how many teens were there and was told there were seven being held. The teen added that Matthew was probably there and Martha, the woman who kept them prisoner when Matthew wasn't around, was always there. She pointed to the electronic circlet on her ankle. "If we try to leave or get too near an outside door, an alarm goes off. Martha has a taser."

"We will take care of that, no worries." Hayley assured her. "Where are Ted and Martha?"

"They're usually in the room at the end of the hall." The teen replied.

"Okay," Hayley acknowledged. "I'll be back. I promise."

Hayley eased out the way she came in. "They're in there," she announced, and explained about the anklets and the taser.

Esposito's mouth hardened in a line. "We don't know what weapons might be in there the girl didn't know about. I say we call ESU. We go in there, get the kids out and take out whoever else is there before they know what hit them."

"I'll call them," Kate agreed, "You coordinate, Espo. Make sure they understand we don't want any kids getting caught in the crossfire."

Esposito's eyes flashed with determination. "Count on it, Captain."


	9. Chapter 9

CBs

Chapter 9

ESU quickly and quietly ringed the warehouse. Hayley sketched a rough floor plan of the layout and where Ted and Martha were expected to be. Locks on two side and a back door were picked and alarms disabled. All the entrances were breached simultaneously by ESU officers, with Esposito leading the charge through the door nearest Ted and Martha's room."

Startled in a bed with perfectly coordinated linens, comforter, and pillows, Martha reached for her taser, but it was no defense against the rifles pointed at her and Ted, who remained asleep. When awakened, he was in complete disbelief, repeating over and over, "This is the perfect home. This can't happen." He was allowed to replace his top of the line silk pajamas with street clothes before he was led away. Kate and Angela Lopez took charge of Martha as she was allowed to hastily dress as well.

* * *

An hour remained before sunrise when the Castles returned to the loft, tired but too wired to sleep. Eschewing the jolt of caffeine, Castle added honey to warm milk. "You know if Ryan ever finds out we're drinking this we'll never hear the end of it." Castle quipped.

"His captain is certainly not going to tell him, so unless you let it drop, I think we're safe," Beckett declared.

Castle made a locking motion in front of his mouth. "Sealed."

Kate found a tiny drop of honey at the corner of his mouth and sucked it from her fingertip before moving in for more sweetness from his lips. "Not too sealed I hope."

"I think you have the key," Castle murmured.

With the sudden lifting of the stress of the night, the slightly sticky warmth of the kiss exploded into blazing heat. The bed and even the couch were at too great a distance to even contemplate crossing. Castle lifted Kate to the table, her legs tightly circling his hips. The wooden surface creaked as he pulled her tightly against his raging need. His hardness ground against her as she clung. They kissed deeply and intensely.

Castle needed more. He pulled back, only to grasp her even more tightly. "Hold on." Still wrapped tightly around him, he carried her through the office to the bedroom where the door was mercifully open. They collapsed against the softness of the comforter, As desperate as he, Kate pulled at the silky barrier that separated her from Castle's attentions, while he tore at his zipper.

Kate was open and ready as urgency pulled them together. Castle thrust his hands into her hair, pulling her lips hard against his. His tongued probed the depths of her mouth as the pressure of Kate's legs brought him even deeper within. Sweat soaked through their clothes as bed groaned in rhythm beneath them. Castle thrust his hands under the dampness of Kate's blouse, releasing the clasp on her bra to fill his hands with with the sensitive globes beneath. Their breath came raggedly in pants as they moved faster. Kate moaned, "Rick." He put a hand down between them, caressing her most intimate sensitivity. The final shattering cascade was released in breathless jerks, leaving them drained in each others' arms. They lay oblivious to the world until the sun was high in the sky.

* * *

Kate convened a meeting of CBs to put the Merchant case to bed. Sylvie Seacrest, who had been called in by Kate after the teens were rescued, began. "All the teens were checked at the hospital for signs of sexual abuse. None of the victims reported any and none was found."

"Thank God for that," Castle exclaimed.

"Lily Merchant was a mess, though," Sylvie continued, "as might be expected, being held prisoner by her father. Her mother was called to the hospital, but Lily asked for Mandy Lewis. Mandy sat with her through the night while they held her for observation and stayed with her when she was released to her mother the next day. All the other teens were released to their families, who were given referrals for counseling."

Manuel Ramirez came to the hospital for his brother with several members of The Fuerte," Angela Lopez reported. "It was peaceful, but if Ted Merchant encounters anyone from The Fuerte at Rikers, they will try to take him out. He will need protection."

"Now there's a waste of our tax money," Esposito commented in disgust.

"He'll get it," Kate acknowledged, even though her thoughts were similar to Esposito's.

"The upside is that now The Fuerte know for sure that no other gang was involved, there won't be any attempts at retribution against their rivals," Angela added.

"I still need to explain to all the families exactly why this happened, why their kids were taken," Morano pointed out.

"I think we'd all like to know that," Ryan asserted.

Kate glanced toward her husband. "Castle?"

"Ted Merchant is obsessed with perfection, but his family is far from perfect. Apparently he felt that a wife should make a perfect home, but Ruby was totally immersed in Lilysoft and rarely present, much less interested in homemaking. Martha is a groupie of sorts, a rabid follower of his ideas. He has his own line of cookware, that's a major source of his personal funds. He does demos at major stores. Martha met him at one of those. He enjoyed the worship and she became his mistress as well as loyal follower. Ted decided that he could create the perfect family in the perfect home. He had Martha decorate the warehouse to his exact specifications. He felt that his daughter Lily could approach perfection away from the influence of her mother and Mandy. But he thought a family should be large, so he put together The Giving Hand to attract other kids with similar personalities to Lily's: hard working, kind, generous. As well as being a reward for the kids, the hearts were his way of tracking which kids participated the most. Those were the ones he took. He used the forum to lure them to the warehouse and then Martha tased them and put the anklets on them. He was so sure everything he did was perfect, he never dreamed he'd be found out."

"And he probably wouldn't have been if Captain Beckett hadn't built this team," Bill Garrett offered. "So what happens to the CBs now?"

Kate smiled mischievously. "Somehow it seems this was all the Chief's brilliant idea and he asked me to put it together. He's holding a press conference this afternoon to discuss the new and innovative ideas being put forth by the N.Y.P.D.."

"Set your DVRs." Castle added. "Five will get you ten he never even mentions Kate's name."

Ryan held up a hand. "No bet Castle."

"So that means we're going to have more cases?" Garrett questioned.

"We are," Kate confirmed. "We're even going to have a budget, a least a small one. So does anyone have any ideas what the next case should be?"

"I have an idea, but it might be a little big, even for this team," Sergei Chekov offered hesitantly.

"Let's hear it Chekov," Kate encouraged.

"Do you all remember in 2011 when the Albanian Mafia was convicted by the International Narcotics Strike Force?"

"Some of my acquaintances in Little Italy were experiencing major schadenfreude over that one," Castle recalled as heads bobbed around the table.

"Well their operations have been growing again." Chekov reported.

"I've heard that from my friends in narcotics," Ryan confirmed.

"Not just narcotics," Chekov continued. "They've been into all of vice. They're taking over some of the China Town games from the triads, and they're making major pimps pay protection for their stables."

"Their robberies are on the uptick too," Lubens put in.

Chekov nodded. "But that's not the most disturbing thing I've heard. They are trafficking in human organs - and they don't care how they get them."

"I have heard that some of the gangs have been disposing of bodies in a profitable way," Angela Lopez related. "There could be a connection there."

"Lanie's told me about some pretty mangled bodies," Esposito added. "Working girls with organs missing."

"We have seen that," Chekov confirmed.

Kate rose from her chair. "Sounds like we have a very deadly operation going on out there. We may end up needing help to take it down, but let's see what we can do."

Castle stood, declaring," The CBs are on the case."


	10. Chapter 10

CBs

Chapter 10

Castle came through the door of the loft with grim look on his face. Kate looked up from tearing lettuce for a salad. "Babe, what's wrong?"

Castle sighed and shook his head. "I think I may have a case that converges with the one the team is on. Normally I'd see that as a good thing, but not with this one. My stomach clenches just thinking about it. Shedding his coat to a chair, Castle walked heavily to a tall window and stared unseeing at the street below. "A little girl died, a twelve year old, Carrie Nussbaum."

Kate came from behind the counter and joined Castle at the window, putting her head on his shoulder and stroking his arm in comfort. "What happened?"

"She received a kidney transplant. Her parents thought it was some kind of miracle. She had been on the recipient list for years. Her parents both have very mixed ancestry, so she was a difficult match. The doctors were keeping her going with dialysis. Their story was in the papers and online, but no one who was tested worked out. Then the parents got a call that was supposed to have been from an international transplant board. They were told there was an organ, but it was in South America and if the parents would pay for transportation costs on a high speed jet, their daughter could get the kidney. They forked over $25,000 and wired it to a bank in the Caymans. The hospital had no idea what had happened. They just got a call that there was a kidney waiting at another hospital. They sent someone by helicopter to pick it up. Their courier was met on the roof by someone in a lab coat and holding a cooler. He didn't ask questions, he just took it and delivered it to the surgical team. Carrie had the kidney within hours and the Nussbaums wired another $25,000.

"The whole family was celebrating. Then things went to hell. Carrie developed West Nile virus, even though she hadn't been near a mosquito. With the drugs she was taking to prevent rejection, she couldn't fight it. It turned into encephalitis and she died. The hospital tried to trace what happened. Turned out the call they got about an organ was bogus. The other hospital, the one they thought harvested the kidney, knew nothing about it. Whoever it was who met the helicopter was an impostor and there is no such thing as an international transplant board. It was a black market organ and had never been screened for disease. The Nussbaums hired me to find out who killed their daughter. So I'm thinking it might have something to do with the organ trafficking by the Albanian mob. Is there anything new about that from the team?"

"There might be. The boys have an open case, a body missing a kidney. It was dropped in a dumpster. A helper at an Italian restaurant found her when he was dumping the trash and Sergei Chekov recognized her as one of the working ladies his people pulled in every so often. She went by Marlie but her name was Agnes Strasser. Her body had more kinds of DNA than the lab could separate but there weren't any prints. Lanie said the kidney was removed very skillfully but no effort was made to keep Agnes from bleeding to death afterward. She didn't have to look any further than that for cause of death. She still has the body since the case is active. I can have her screen for West Nile virus. If I call her now, she can get on it in the morning."

"Please," Castle urged.

Kate pulled out her phone. "Lanie says she can do it, but the test takes twenty-four to thirty-six hours to run. We won't be sure Agnes' case is connected with yours until then."

"I'm not going to wait that long," Castle decided. "Someone who knew Carrie's case tipped off whoever scammed the Nussbaums. They could have read about it, but they would have to have been privy to details about how the organ would be picked up, too. I'm going to find out who that someone is if I have to grill everyone in that hospital."

Kate touched his cheek. "I know you will Babe, and you know I'll help if I can."

* * *

The mood was somber as the CBs gathered in the conference room. Kate opened the meeting. "You all got copies of Castle's notes, Dr. Parrish's report, and the case records from Ryan and Esposito. We have two confirmed deaths now that can be attributed to organ trafficking, Agnes Strasser and Carrie Nussbaum. So let's get updates about possible connections to the Albanian mob."

Esposito looked at Angela Lopez who spoke up immediately. "There's been talk from the Westies that the Albanians are invading their territory. They tried to sell drugs there a couple of years back, but Finn Rourke put a stop to it. Now it looks like they're trying numbers. One of Finn's runners was missing for a couple of days and then turned up dead with his heart cut out. Finn took it as a challenge to his territory, but it wasn't done like a hit. The heart was surgically removed."

"Yeah," Kate mused. "If the Albanians grabbed him, they could have had someone type him. Then if they had a market for the heart, taken it and counted on the whole thing being written off as a routine gang killing."

"It almost was," Angela agreed.

"Robbery may enter into this too," Carl Lubens chimed in. "We've had some thefts from medical supply houses. I inquired and was told that the equipment taken could be used in the harvesting and preservation of organs and tissue."

"Anyone else?" Kate queried.

"I noticed that Castle is trying to trace the account in the Caymens as well as research the backgrounds of everyone with detailed knowledge of Carrie Nussbaum's needs and her family's resources. I can assist with the computer end of that," Bill Garrett offered.

"Happy to have the help," Castle acknowledged. "Even with the able assistance of my daughter and Hayley Shipton, the possibilities to check out are almost endless. Fortunately the Nussbaums have signed all the necessary releases so we don't run into a stone wall on their end of the privacy angle. Not so much with the hospital. Their attorneys are working overtime on ass covering."

"Given the significance of the case, we can get a court order," Kate remarked. "I'll take care of it. Alright, I know you've all got work to do. I won't keep you. Just keep everyone in the loop."

Kate stood as a sign of dismissal and the members of the team, except for Castle, filed out. "I need to go back to the office," Castle told her. "The Nussbaums will be coming in and I need to give them an update. At least I can tell them there are damn good people on this. See you later?"

"Yeah, but after my shift I want to go see Ray Edelson. He's doing better and they've moved him to rehab now. There's some captain stuff I need to talk to him about." Kate gave Castle a little bump with her hip. "Tell you what. Whoever gets home first opens the wine - red."

Crinkles formed at the corner of Castle's eyes. "You've got a deal."


	11. Chapter 11

CBs

Chapter 10

"Dad, this isn't getting us anywhere," Alexis announced as she strode in from the outer office.

"You mean going through the employment records from the hospital?" Castle asked.

"Exactly. Even with Mr. Garrett and Hayley doing background on anyone who looks suspicious, we still haven't turned up a thing."

Castle stared questioningly at his daughter. "I take it you have another idea."

Alexis bobbed her head vigorously. "I want to work at the hospital. After my internship with Dr. Parrish and all my coursework I'm more than qualified. Dr. Parrish has already written me a recommendation and I have an interview this afternoon."

You don't think they'll be suspicious of my daughter?" Castle questioned. "The administration knows I'm working for the Nussbaums."

"I'll go in as Alexis Rodgers. That's the name my school records are under. I'm not going for a paid position, so they won't need my Social Security number. I'll just be a college intern. I can listen in the hall, buddy up to people in the cafeteria, and see who the staff thinks is slimy. I can do this Dad," she insisted. "I've been undercover before. Hell, you've been undercover, and your face is on television and in bookstore windows. Nobody knows me."

The pitch of Castle's voice rose with unease. "And if some evil Albanian discovers who you are and tries to slit your throat? You're not trained for undercover work."

"Not being trained has never stopped you," Alexis argued. "Besides, I've been working with Hayley. She's taught me a lot. If someone tries to slit my throat I know enough to get away and scream bloody murder."

Castle shook his head. "I don't like it."

Alexis stared at him defiantly. "You don't have to like it. I'm over twenty-one. I don't need your permission." She stomped her way back to her own desk. It was early in the day, but Castle poured himself two fingers of scotch, then returned to his computer, hoping to find a suspect before Alexis did.

* * *

With an uncharacteristic lack of gusto, Castle picked at a very late supper. "Babe," Kate counseled "you've got to stop obsessing. Alexis will be fine. She has a quick mind and she's very resourceful - like her father. It's not like she's trying to go undercover with the mob. She's just wants to work at a hospital. She hasn't got the job yet and even if she gets it, they'll probably just have her manning a desk or delivering specimens to the lab."

"The problem is, and I hate to admit it, that she's too much like me. She can't leave anything alone. She's going to keep asking questions until someone notices, and I won't be there to help her."

"Castle, you never know what's going to happen. I mean soldiers survive four tours in Iraq just to come back and die in car accidents. You can't control everything."

Castle smiled, shaking his head. "Spoken by New York's champion control freak. But you're right. That doesn't mean I have to like it."

* * *

With Kate sound asleep, Castle attempted to distract himself with late night television. He flipped through the infomercials and was doing the same to the women's channels when a movie caught his attention. It was the story of an immigrant family. The mother and father had both been trained overseas as doctors, but in order to practice in the United States would have had to take a battery of exams and complete a residency. Residencies were few and far between. The mother managed to obtain one, but the father couldn't. The mother worked grueling eighty hour weeks, while the father took what work he could get as a lab tech and cared for the children as best he could. Resentment grew between the father and the mother. Being a movie, it eventually all worked out, but Castle could see how in real life it wouldn't. Thinking of the case, Castle realized a doctor trained overseas might easily grow resentful and bitter at not being able to do his job. He might be just the sort of person the mob might seek out to do their deadly surgeries. Castle started looking at employees again, this time ignoring the financials or problems with drinking or gambling. He made a quick trip to Castle Investigations to retrieve the hard copy personnel records and settled back at his home desk to review them.

At five A.M. Castle danced into to the bedroom. Still dazed with sleep, Kate opened her eyes. "Castle what? Were you up all night?"

Castle leaned over the bed, framing her face between his large hands, and planted an enthusiastic kiss on her mouth. "Yes, but it was so worth it! Kate, I found our evil surgeon!"

Kate rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry Castle, I'm still asleep. An evil surgeon?" A sudden shudder ran through Kate at the remembrance of the doctor who came so close to killing her. "Like Kelly Nieman?"

Castle gathered his wife's face to his chest. "Oh Kate, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring that back. No, I meant the person harvesting the organs. His name is Fran Bardici. The first time I saw the name I thought it was Italian, but it's not, it's Albanian. He's a surgeon but he isn't one here. He couldn't get a residency to make it through the certification process, so he works entering data in the hospital."

"That would be enough to make someone angry at the system," Kate mused. "And he'd be in a position to know exactly what was going on the hospital and even alter records."

"Exactly!" Castle exclaimed. "He's our guy, Kate, or at least enough of our guy to lead us to the others."

Kate threw her legs over the side of the bed. "Castle it's a great theory, but there's not one iota of proof. You're going to hate this, but if Bardici is your guy, the perfect person to keep an eye on him and get some proof, could be Alexis."

Castle's joy drained away like water from a shattered cup. He smacked his palm against the nightstand "Damn! That's just what I was doing all this research to prevent."

Kate reached out to take his stinging hand. "Look at it this way, Babe. Now she'll know exactly what to look for and whom to be careful of. And if it looks like he's catching on to her, she can protect herself and get out of there."

"You may be right," Castle conceded. "Still, if she does this, I'm going to make sure she makes regular check ins. If she's going to be an operative of Castle investigations, she's going to have to behave like one."

"I have a feeling she'll accept that, Castle, probably better than you would if you were going undercover. Now, I'm going to start some coffee. The bakery opens early. Why don't you get us some fresh croissant? The walk will help clear your head."

"Alright," Castle agreed grudgingly. "But Kate, when I get back I'm going to need bacon, lots of bacon, and not the turkey stuff either, the real artery clogging thing."

Smiling indulgently, Kate lightly brushed his lips with hers. "Babe, you've got it."


	12. Chapter 12

CBs

Chapter 12

Alexis would never have admitted it to her father, but she was glad that in deference to Castle's concern for her, Hayley was in her van in the hospital parking lot listening to everything Alexis said. Alexis had been assigned to the lab, doing considerably less complex tasks than she had done for Lanie. She filed, something at which she excelled, and she swiped a reader over bar codes to track specimens, which were then double checked before they were run. She answered the occasional phone, but wasn't allowed to give or receive much in the way of information. For the most part, she was bored, but she had met Fran Bardici in the break room. As the new person, she had received the worst shift, arriving at four A.M.. They partially overlapped, with Bardici arriving four hours later. A man well into his forties, he didn't pay much attention to the young intern, although he was grateful when she made a fresh pot of coffee. Alexis resolved to do it on a regular basis, perhaps giving herself some opening to start a conversation. The relative quietude of the early morning before Bardici arrived also gave Alexis a chance to snoop around his workstation and try to determine his password, a task at which she had yet to be successful. The hospital required that passwords be changed monthly with no repeats, making the usual birth dates or names of kids or pets unlikely.

While she monitored Alexis, Hayley observed the comings and goings at the hospital. Much was as would be expected, patients being rushed to emergency or arriving for surgical prep, staff arriving or departing, and the occasional staff member sneaking outside for a smoke. She took pictures of everything anyway, never discounting what tiny detail might be useful. Finally one was. Fran Bardici arrived twenty minutes before his shift, lit up a cigarette, but didn't smoke it. He was joined by a woman who actually did smoke. They talked for about ten minutes before entering the building separately. Hayley decided the first thing she would do would when she was finished listening in on Alexis, would be to get an I.D. on the woman.

After an off-shift Alexis was unable to identify the woman in her photo, Hayley sent it to Kate to run against the DMV data base. The woman was identified as Debora Halil, a name that might easily have been taken as Israeli, but like Fran Bardici, proved to be Albanian. After receiving Debora's I.D. from Kate, Castle checked the name against hospital personnel records. He found Debora to be the assistant to the transplant coordinator. Debora was also the one reported to have received the call about the availability of the organ which had been transplanted into Carrie Nussbaum.

Things were beginning to make sense. With Hayley on Alexis, Castle decided to tail Debora. He followed her to Lydig Avenue in the Bronx, in an area that in 2011 came to be known as little Albania. Debora entered a one family house. A quick scan of real estate listings revealed to Castle that the house would sell for about half a million dollars. It should have been way beyond the reach of Debora's hospital salary.

Debora stayed in the house for several hours before emerging the visit a club some blocks away. Castle followed at what he hoped was a discreet distance and waited fifteen minutes before entering the club after her. Castle wore a pair of heavy glasses concealing a camera. The music was loud with a pop beat and surprisingly good guitar lines. Men danced with seductively dressed women, many of whom had lips emphasized by bright red lipstick. Debora was seated at a table away from the dancers with a man wearing what Castle recognized as a five thousand dollar suit and an air of importance. Castle found a table nearby and snapped his picture. Debora and the man both held cigarettes and sipped from glasses containing a clear liquid Castle guessed might be raki, a potent anise flavored spirit popular in Albania and Turkey. The discussion appeared to be serious, with neither Debora nor her companion smiling. Castle ordered a high priced mineral water. After a few more moments, the man passed an envelope across the table, which Debora quickly stowed in her purse. They both finished their cigarettes and drinks and left.

Castle waited a few minutes longer, finishing his water and leaving an average and therefore non-memorable tip, and taking the opportunity to use the men's room, before leaving himself. Arriving back at his car, he immediately called Kate, who was still at the precinct. "Debora Halil just got what looked like a payoff. I think something else is going down involving a transplant at the hospital."

Kate put her phone on speaker. "Castle, Alexis is here with me. She has something. I'll let her tell you."

"Dad, I was eavesdropping in the cafeteria. There was a couple there, kind of hanging onto each other. They were talking about spending everything they had to get their son a new heart. If they are buying heart, the transplant will have to happen really soon. Hayley heard everything too and she's following Bardici."

"Castle," Kate added. "If Hayley sees any sign that Bardici is going to try to harvest a heart or anything else, I have a team ready to move in. Ryan and Esposito are coordinating. Chekov has his people looking out for anyone who might be trying to snatch a hooker. If any of the assignations seem destined for a trip somewhere other than the usual by the hour hotel, they'll follow. Castle, if the operation is going down the way we think it will, we'll be on top of it and catch them in the act before anyone else dies. Are you coming to the precinct?"

Castle considered for a moment. "No, I think I'll stay in Little Albania. If the mob has some sort of operating room set up, it's probably here somewhere. Bardici lives up here too. I'm going to stake out his apartment in case there's any activity there. I'll have Hayley let both of us know if Bardici is headed in this direction.

Castle drove the few blocks to Bardici's building and found a parking spot across the street. He settled back in his seat, glad he'd grabbed his chance to take a pee. He wished he'd grabbed a cheeseburger, or at least some Albanian bar food, but he had beef jerky in the glove compartment. It would do. It could be a long night.

God Save the Queen emanated from Castle's phone. "Castle," Hayley alerted him, "Bardici is getting on the Triborough Bridge. Looks like he's off to the Bronx, but I'll stay on his tail. Anything happening there?"

"No," Castle began to respond. "Wait! Two guys just got someone out of a car. He looks drunk or drugged or something. They're moving toward Bardici's building. Keep following him. I'm going to call Kate to get her team in and maybe some unis who are closer. Bardici may have a place to operate right here. If he does, we may only have about twenty minutes."


	13. Chapter 13

CBs

Chapter 13

A uniformed unit was the first to arrive. Castle didn't recognize either of the officers, but they made it clear that they had received orders from Captain Beckett to cooperate with him. With no appearance of real danger, they awaited the arrival of Fran Bardici for the possible attempt at the deadly use of a scalpel. Hayley fed Castle steady reports. Failing sudden traffic, she judged Bardici to be about five minutes from the apartment. Castle was not at all sure what to do when Bardici got there. There was no real evidence that Bardici was doing anything but coming home, nor that the man dragged into the building was connected to Bardici. But the story would make no sense unless it was all connected. The least Castle could do would be to watch Bardici when he arrived and call the uniforms in if an organ removal seemed imminent. He wished Kate's team would arrive, but he knew Bardici would make an appearance first.

Using binoculars, Castle caught the code with which Bardici let himself into his building and followed. Bardici was just disappearing into the elevator. Castle watched, noting the floor at which it stopped: four. Bardici lived on four, but that meant little. The operations could be performed in his own apartment or another one on the same floor. Castle took the stairs, cautiously peering out from the stairwell to make sure the hallway was clear. Pulling a sound amplifier from his pocket, Castle listened at Bardici's door. "It's about time you got here," a male voice spat out. "Let's get this done."

"Hey, I need to gown up," a voice Castle took to be Bardici's protested.

"What for?" the first voice questioned impatiently. "It's not like it matters if he catches something from you."

"Well I don't want to catch anything from him," Bardici retorted. "You people haven't exactly been careful about what you've brought me. The death of that little girl has us under a magnifying glass. The police and a P.I. have been sniffing around the hospital. They know the Nussbaums were scammed and Debora is going have to work even harder to make sure all the paperwork checks out. So where did you get this one?"

"He's one of our own. Healthy as far as anyone knows. Got some kind of conscience about that girl dying. He got drunk at the club and was running his mouth about it. The big guy found out and wasn't happy. Couldn't have anyone breaking the code that way. It was just lucky this asshole typed out as useful."

"Yeah, well I have to be more careful altering the lab records to cover up those tests too," Bardici complained. "They've put another check on the bar codes, got some little intern in. The Nussbaum death has everyone scrambling to cover their asses. We may have to go with the other hospitals, and we don't have as good a line on any of them. Well, this one should go through all right. Practically the whole place has been praying for the right heart to turn up. Get that jerk on the table. I'll be ready in a few minutes. I have to get all the equipment set. Harvesting a heart is delicate. I can't afford to damage any of the vessels. Everything will have to be perfect."

Castle listened in horror. He thought about kicking the door in, but there was a good chance the men who had brought the body were armed. Even if they weren't, it would be three against one in a room full of sharp instruments. He called for the uniforms then called Kate, who told him the team was two minutes out. Castle hoped they had two minutes.

The uniforms charged up the stairs, guns drawn, to join Castle. "He hasn't started yet, but he could any minute," Castle whispered. He handed one of the officers his earphones. "Use these, you'll hear if he's starting and you can go in. Captain Beckett's people are almost here. I'm going to try to cut the power. Bardici can't operate without it.

Castle ran down the stairs, finding a second rougher staircase that led to the basement. He pulled out his Mag Lite, searching for the circuit breakers. The panel was large and he had to strain to open it. The breakers weren't labeled by apartment, but there was a master breaker. Castle threw it and signaled Kate about what he had done.

Kate's team burst into the building, rushing to join the uniforms upstairs. They broke through the door of Bardici's apartment to find him helplessly searching for a flashlight. The men who had brought the donor drew their weapons but surrendered quickly when it was clear that they were outgunned. Kate cuffed Bardici while her team secured the other two men. She thumbed an icon on her phone. "Castle, you can turn the lights back on now. We've got them."

* * *

A cuffed Bardici sat sullenly across the table from the Castles in interrogation. "I would say we caught you red handed," Castle quipped, "but fortunately you never got to operate."

"Your would be heart donor was more than willing to tell us about your organ racket," Kate informed Bardici. "Normally that, and the evidence we gathered at your apartment, would be enough to put you away for several lifetimes, but he doesn't know who the person behind your little harvesting club is. I have a feeling you do. If you give us a name, that could put the D.A. in a generous mood. Who knows? You might even be eligible for parole some day."

Bardici crossed his arms across his chest and tapped his leg nervously. "I'm not telling you or some D.A. anything. If I give you a name I'll never live to be paroled. I'm only talking to my lawyer."

Kate rose from her chair. "Fine. You're responsible for the death of a twelve year old girl. A whole firm of lawyers won't be able to keep you out of prison. Next time you bend over you'd better have your back to the wall." Castle followed Kate from the room, leaving L.T. to guard the prisoner. "What do you think, Castle?" she asked as they watched a sweating Bardici through the one way mirror. "Will he talk?"

Castle sighed and shrugged. "I don't think so, Kate. He's more afraid of whomever the big guy is than of you. But I think Mr. Big might be the guy in the expensive suit I saw talking to Debora at the club. The way he acted broadcast power - and cruelty. I got a picture of him. Ryan ran it through facial recognition, but he got nothing. I think I need to stake out the club. Big looked comfortable there, like a regular. I'd be willing to bet he'll be back."

"Castle," Kate suggested, "How about if we stake out the club together? A couple might draw less attention. And we haven't been dancing in a while."

Castle caressed her cheekbone with the backs of his fingers. "Kate, I can't picture you not drawing attention. But you would look incredible in the kind of dress the women I saw there had painted on. He extended a hand. "Care to cut a rug with me tonight, Captain Beckett?"

"Well Mr. Castle," Kate replied, "I'd be delighted."


	14. Chapter 14

CBs

Chapter 14

Castle gazed with a wistful grin at the dress Kate pulled from her closet. "I remember that. You wore it when you hijacked my Ferrari and drove to that club to take down that drug dealer, Oz. Your moves then were driving me even crazier than they drove him. It was a long time before I got to discover just how incredible your moves really are.

Kate sucked on the tip of her finger. "Was it worth the wait?"

Castle pulled her tight against his heating groin. "You know it was. We have some time, maybe we could...?"

Kate cupped his cheek in her hand before pulling back. "Babe, I'd love to, but I'd think it would be a lot more convincing if when we do this, you have the look on your face you have right now. But later we can have our own private dance session."

"I will hold you to that," Castle promised. "And I have just the dance in mind."

* * *

The driving beat pulsed through the dance floor as the women ground against the men, teasing the promise of far more than a dance. Arms clasped around Castle's neck, Kate's sinuous hips enticed, while she scanned the room for the face Castle had captured with his bogus glasses. "Kate, you keep that up we'll never make it home," Castle warned.

"If I don't, we'll stand out," Kate whispered in his ear. "Stay with it Castle. Look for your guy."

"I am," Castle insisted, "but the two of us are not what's going to stand out." The music was steady but the room seemed quieter for a moment. "Kate, that's him, coming in now. I think that suit's even more expensive than the last one, but I kind of like it."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Maybe after I arrest him you can get the name of his tailor. Look, he's taking a booth." Kate inclined her head slightly. "If we take that table, we'll have a clear line of sight, but we won't be too close."

As the Castles watched, their quarry ordered the same clear beverage Castle had seen him order before, and lit a cigarette. "It's supposed to be illegal for him to smoke in here." Kate noted.

"I don't see anyone moving to stop him," Castle observed. "They didn't the last time I was here either. Another reason to assume he holds some kind of power." Three men slid into the booth with the smoking man. He appeared to grow increasingly angry as they spoke, and they drew away as if fearful of his wrath. "Bet he's finding out what happened with the latest attempt at organ snatching," Castle speculated. "Not a happy camper."

"No," Kate agreed, "but we wouldn't want him to be. The way he's acting could mean we really threw a monkey wrench into his operation."

Castle nodded. "If Bardici's his only doctor, he's out of business, but I wouldn't put money on that."

Kate shifted in her seat for a better view. "Castle, looks like they're getting ready to leave."

Castle threw money on the table. "Then so are we.

Big was respectfully ushered into the back of a black limo, which took off almost immediately. Despite the lure of the Ferrari, the Castles had arrived in Kate's assigned unit in anticipation of a possible need to flout the traffic laws. Kate slid behind the wheel to follow. The limo only drove a few blocks, parking in front of another Lydig Avenue establishment. The building displayed no signage except the street number required by the post office. It was new, faced with darkly veined polished rock. Admittance was clearly by code only and when Big entered it, the Castles were still too far away to determine what it was. Kate parked down the block.

"What do we do now?" Castle asked.

"Well, for one thing, we try to find out who owns that building," Kate replied.

Castle pulled out his phone and brought up a search engine. "On it." Entering the address, he scrolled through the entries. "This address has an interesting history. There used to be a pizzeria here, but it was torn down a couple of years ago to erect this building. Unfortunately, as you might expect, the owner is listed only as a corporation, a holding company. I'm trying to get more on it now, but it's privately held so they don't have to make the filings a publicly held corporation does. Looks like they do own a number of businesses: restaurants - mostly Italian, specialty imports, a rug store, a bowling alley, and the club where we found Big."

"The perfect set-up for money laundering," Kate asserted, "but not helpful in identifying our guy. The limo's parked under a streetlight. Can you get the plate?"

Castle used the zoom of a camera they'd stowed in the car. "Got it!" He turned the view screen on the camera so Kate could see it."

Kate pulled out her own phone to run the number. "Ezeze Limo. Is that under the holding company?"

Castle squinted at his phone's tiny screen wishing he'd brought a tablet. "It's not listed. Maybe we'll get lucky. Booyah! It's a sole proprietorship, registered to a Elion Poloka."

Kate entered the name into an N.Y.P.D. app. "Running DMV now. Chauffeur's license, there's an actual address here." Kate continued to explore. "Castle, he's on parole! We can pull him in and sweat him for associating with criminals."

"Kate, Castle pointed out, "strictly speaking we don't know that he is."

Kate smiled. "He doesn't need to know that. First thing in the morning, I send unis to pick him up."

"And now?" Castle inquired.

"Right now I believe I promised you a private dance session."

"Yes," Castle confirmed enthusiastically, "yes you did. How fast can you make it home?"

Kate pulled out and pressed hard on the accelerator. "Let's find out."

The streets flew by as Kate skillfully wove her way through New York City traffic, heavy even at night. But the trip to lower Manhattan seemed painfully slow. The elevator at 595 Broome Street seemed even slower. Castle fumbled slightly with his key before picking Kate up and kicking open the door. His long legs quickly covered the distance to the bedroom while Kate opened the buttons on his shirt. They fell to the bed together. Castle pulled upward on the hem of Kate's short-skirted dress. "I've been wanting to get under this thing ever since you put it on five years ago."

The close fit of the shiny black come on fought him, but he finally managed to get it over her head, revealing a lacy black bra. He released her from it as well, eagerly tasting what lay beneath. Kate fought to draw in breath, reaching for him. "Rick, you've still got way too many clothes on."

He placed her hand on his belt buckle. "Feel free to remedy the situation."

Kate accepted the invitation, quickly stripping him and tossing the garments wherever they might fall. She stroked the evidence of his mounting desire. "So what kind of a dance did you have in mind? Fox trot? Waltz? Quick step?"

Castle jerked her to him with a sudden intense motion. "The dance of passion Kate, a tango. And we are just the team to get all tens."

Kate entwined a leg with his. "Elevens."


	15. Chapter 15

CBs

Chapter 15

The collar of Elion Poloka's shirt was drenched, as were his armpits and his back. He swiped a hand across the moisture on his forehead. The idea of going back to prison was terrifying. He just wasn't sure if it was more terrifying than than wrath of the man who had occupied the back seat of his limo the night before. It had seemed like such a great deal. Most men coming out of prison struggled to find the most menial job. But Elion had an offer. He could have the money to buy his own limo and start his own business. All he had to do was drive. He could even make money on the side with other driving jobs when the boss didn't need him. He just had to keep his mouth shut.

And it wasn't as if he knew much. Except for the occasional snatch of conversation or fragment of a phone call, his benefactor's dealings were a mystery to him. He just parked wherever he was told to park and waited. And he wanted it that way. He needed it that way. What he didn't know, he couldn't tell. Ignorance kept him safe.

Kate strode into the room, followed by Castle. She took the seat opposite Poloka, fixing him with an unforgiving stare. For some moments, Kate made a show of studying a file, giving Elion even more time to sweat. Finally Kate looked up at him again. "Mr. Poloka, do you know why you're here?"

"It's a mistake," Poloka protested. "I haven't done anything. I just drive a limousine."

"Ah," Castle interjected, "but who rides in that limousine and what infamies are plotted in in the depths of its fine leather seats?"

"Elion gazed back at Castle with a mixture of confusion and fear. "I don't know anything about any infamies."

Kate took back the interrogation. "Mr. Poloka, the man you drove last night is involved with at least two murders and a kidnapping. You want to convince me you know nothing about them? Give us his name."

"I don't know a name. He is known as Kreu. In Albanian that means the head."

"Okay," Kate acknowledged, "let's go at this another way. Last night you drove this Kreu from a club on Lydig Avenue to a building, also on Lydig Avenue. You parked and you waited. Where did you drive him after that?"

"Nowhere. I waited for a few hours. I read. I slept. Then he called and told me to go home."

"Fine, then where did you pick him up to take him to the club?" Kate pressed.

Elion squirmed uncomfortably imagining the clink of a locking cell door. He couldn't face prison again, but if he said anymore about Kreu... "If I tell you, I need protection."

"Mr. Poloka," Kate promised, "we can put a security team on you, but the only way you'll really be safe is if we put Kreu away. So we'll start with that address and then you need to tell us anything else you know."

"Alright," Elion agreed, his voice trembling, "I pick him up in Queens. He has a home in Forest Hills Gardens."

* * *

In the conference room, Kate addressed the assemblage of CBs minus Sergei Chekov and Sylvie Seacrest. "You have the notes on the case through the interrogation of Elion Poloka. That includes everything concerning Fran Bardici, including what Castle and the officers heard before he was arrested. I have a further update. According to city records, the estate at the address Elion Poloka gave us is in the name of Rita Carcani, I've just sent you all the information from the DMV. Rita Carcani is listed as seventy years old. That makes it a fair bet she's not the wife of the man Poloka knows as Kreu. A check into her background reveals that she was born Rita Agani in Albania. She came to this country with her parents at the age of seven. She's a naturalized citizen. In 1964 she was briefly wed to Dardan Carcani. Dardan died in a one car accident not long afterward. The circumstances were suspicious, but no foul play was ever proved. After that, the details become a bit murky. Rita's parents were suddenly living in a much better neighborhood, but Rita dropped from sight. She was rumored to have become the mistress of a very powerful man. If that is true, that man would be much older than the man Castle and I followed from the club, the man Elion drove to Queens. At this point, I'm asking for speculation."

"The obvious answer," Angela Lopez responded, "is that if Rita became the mistress to power, Kreu is Rita's son. Blood ties are important. After the serious setbacks the Albanian mob suffered in in 2011, the son could have taken the reins of the organization and rebuilt it."

"That is what Captain Beckett and I assumed as well," Castle inserted, "but there is no record Rita Carcani has ever given birth."

"She could have done it under another name," Ryan suggested.

Kate nodded. "It's possible. Or it's possible Kreu may have been a lieutenant of whomever Rita took up with and rose to take charge. But right now the only solid connections we have between Kreu and our two deaths are Bardici and Debora Halil. Bardici isn't talking. That leaves us with Debora Halil. Castle heard Bardici mention a Debora. What he heard wasn't recorded and we have no supporting evidence, but she doesn't know that. She has to be getting nervous about what Bardici might have given up and that with Bardici gone, there may be no more need for her services. Kreu's most likely method for her termination would be with extreme prejudice. But there could be another doctor, in which case she would be still be of use to Kreu. I see two possible strategies. One would be to bring her in and offer her protection in exchange for Kreu's identity. The other would be to keep her under surveillance and see if she either leads us to Kreu or we catch his people in the act of trying to take her out. Comments?"

"Elion Poloka doesn't know who Kreu actually is. Who says Debora Halil does either?" Esposito pointed out. "We pull her in and squeeze her, we may get nothing."

"We'd also tip Kreu off that we know about her," Ryan added. "Right now he may have no idea what Castle heard or that he was spotted in the club with Debora. He just knows his ex-con limo driver was picked up. Ex-cons get picked up all the time."

"I agree," Angela said. She turned to Castle. "Is your daughter still in place at the hospital?"

Castle nodded with a clenched jaw.

"So we can keep track of Debora's activities there." Angela continued. "We put someone on her wherever else she goes; things will come down one way or another."

"There's also the club," Bill Garrett put in. "It's part of the organization. If we check out their vendors, their transactions, we may pick up some leads. If they're being used to launder money, there has to be a money trail. We should follow it. We need to check out the rest of the holding company's businesses as well."

"We'll do both," Kate decided. "Bill you take the lead on the research you mentioned. Ryan can help you and so can Castle. Esposito, I want you to coordinate the surveillance on Debora Halil. Angela, ask your people to keep their eyes and ears open to any plans being made for a possible hit." Kate stood. "Okay, everyone keep in touch. One way or another we will get Kreu."


	16. Chapter 16

CBs

Chapter 16

Alexis grabbed every opportunity she could to ferry test results to Debora Halil's office. She smiled and tried to be friendly, even asking if she could fetch Debora fresh coffee. Debora was not in the mood for company, especially after Alexis dropped an armful of files on the floor. As soon as she picked up the fallen paperwork, Alexis was dismissed abruptly, but a bug was in place under Debora's desk.

As unobtrusive as possible, the bug was tiny with limited power. It could stream but not record and its signal wouldn't reach beyond hospital grounds. Hayley was stationed in the parking lot to pick up every word and she didn't have long to wait. Debora's voice was rough and shaky. "The organs have to be perfect, do you hear me? I can't have any more red flags. You send me specimens for typing and I'll get them through the lab, but you better not have grabbed some slut off the street. And your doctor better have some first class skills."

Hayley called the Castles. They would have to move fast to prevent another death.

* * *

Castle distributed coffee as Ryan, Esposito, and Bill Garrett rushed to their places around the conference table. Kate addressed the group. "Our priority of uncovering the identity of Kreu has shifted. We no longer have the time. It's clear that Kreu's people are holding someone, somewhere, until they're carved up for parts. According to Alexis, the tests have already arrived at the lab. If a transplant will be performed, the final cross match should take forty-eight hours. That gives us two days to figure out where the donor is being held and get them out. So where are we?"

"Castle, Ryan, and I have sifted through the holding company's business to determine potential sites," Bill Garrett reported. "We have three that are most likely. One is the building at 900 Lydig Avenue that Captain Beckett and Castle observed Kreu entering. Another is an Italian market that was purchased but has not yet reopened. The third is a veterinary clinic, also acquired but not reopened and we all consider it most likely. The deal included equipment, which means operating facilities."

"We'll put all three under surveillance," Kate decided. "We might even get lucky and pick up activity from Kreu, especially on Lydig Avenue. But regardless of what we see, we'll have to have teams ready to move the moment Alexis' bug indicates a transplant is scheduled."

"Hayley and her operatives are monitoring it around the clock," Castle added.

* * *

A savory aroma came through the door of Kate's office, immediately followed by Castle. Kate looked up from her computer and spied the slightly greasy bag in Castle's hand. "You went to Remy's."

Castle consulted his watch. "It's nine o'clock. I thought if you were determined to hang around the precinct, you could use some fuel."

"You thought right, Babe. My mind was taken up by the transplant murders, but I've got other things to juggle. The Chief may have found some money for the CB's, but the rest of the budget is still cut to the bone. I have cops wanting to take vacation and a couple about to take family leave and without overtime, I don't have enough people to cover. Two of the toilets in the restrooms upstairs don't work and I have no money for a plumber. The video screen is out in the break room in robbery and I can't replace it, and the heating system is making all kinds of funny noises."

"I noticed," Castle said, extending a paper-wrapped burger. "Sounds kind of like the Tin Man when he needs his oil can. But look, Kate, stuff like plumbers and heating guys, I can pick up."

"Babe, that's sweet, but you shouldn't have to and it wouldn't give me more cops. I'll figure it out."

"Of that," Castle declared, "I have no doubt."

Kate was down to her last french fry when her phone rang. She nodded as she listened briefly. Castle raised a questioning eyebrow as Kate ended the call, shoving her chair back as she stood. "Surveillance spotted Kreu at the Lydig Avenue building. They're sitting on him now."

"Road trip?" Castle asked.

"Road trip," Kate agreed.

* * *

Kreu had been in the building for hours and Castle was beginning to think he'd be in there all night. Finally Kreu emerged at three A.M. and got behind the wheel of a BMW. "Where do you think he's going?" Castle whispered.

Kate pulled out quietly, staying far enough behind to avoid notice. "We'll find out."

Castle monitored their route, comparing it to possible destinations using the mapping app on his phone. "Kate, he's going to the veterinary clinic." Castle's own phone buzzed. "That was Hayley. She says Debora just arrived at her office. Something must be going down tonight."

Kate pulled over. "Castle, you drive. I want to coordinate our teams. I need to make sure no harvesting takes place, but we need to catch Kreu at the clinic if we can."

Kate spent the rest of the trip on the phone. Waking Judge Markaway, she obtained an emergency warrant. Officers breached the clinic, preventing a harvest about to begin, arresting the participants, and rescuing the would be donor. With Kreu mere minutes away, the team pulled back, leaving detectives hidden inside. Kreu was allowed to enter the building unimpeded. When he called out for his men, asking where the hell the kidney was, the detectives emerged guns drawn. They cuffed him and read him his rights, leading him out just as Castle parked Kate's unit at the scene. The donor was put in an ambulance and Kreu and the others who'd been arrested were brought back to the precinct. At the same time, Ryan and Esposito were sent to bring in Debora Halil. Kate and Castle met them at the precinct.

Debora Halil had one interest and one interest only, saving her own ass. She immediately asked for an attorney to broker a deal. Kate let her sweat it out in a holding cell until her lawyer could arrive.

Kreu said nothing, except to request a lawyer. Two of the others arrested at the clinic said nothing at all. The third, requested a lawyer as his boss had done. Kate waited for matches on the fingerprints taken at booking. The results arrived close to sunrise and she and Castle sat down to examine them. The three men found at the clinic were in the system. The two silent ones had been previously arrested for dealing drugs.

The third, Fordham Burgess, had been found poised to apply a scalpel to unwilling flesh. Burgess' file showed a conviction for attempted rape. He had been a surgeon, one highly regarded in his field. Testimony against him indicated that arrogance born of his medical prowess has led him to feel entitled to visit his attentions on female co-workers. Multiple sexual harassment complaints had been hushed up by the hospital where he was on staff, until he attacked a surgical nurse. He had made an unfortunate choice of victim. Former military, she was able to successfully fight him off, while her shouts brought witnesses. The hospital could no longer keep his behavior under wraps. Burgess took a plea. He served less than a year in jail but lost his medical license. After his arrest at the clinic, he was more than willing to have his lawyer negotiate another deal. A meeting with the A.D.A. was set for late that afternoon.

* * *

Castle wearily but triumphantly let himself and Kate into the loft. Bright sun shone through the windows. Too tired to care that it was well into daytime, they divested themselves only of their shoes before climbing between the sheets. Kate cuddled into Castle's side and Castle lightly kissed her hair. "Score another win for the CBs," he murmured.

"We have a long way to go, Castle. We still haven't identified Kreu and so far all we can do is place him at the scene of a crime. That's not much."

"There will be a lot more after we get testimony from Debora and Burgess, right?" Castle asked. "He solicited felonies leading to murder and attempted murder. Shouldn't that be enough to throw away the key?"

Kate's finger drew invisible patterns on the fabric of Castle's shirt. "We'll see what they tell the A.D.A. and then we'll know what we've got."

Castle drew her closer. "Well I know what I've got, the best, most beautiful, bad ass police captain ever."

Kate snuggled into his chest, smiling. "Damn straight!"


	17. Chapter 17

CBs

Chapter 17

Kate's phone blared an alarm into the sunlit room, giving the Castles just enough time to shower and dress before returning to the precinct. Castle turned to her sleepily as she pressed the shut-off. "Feels like it's only been five minutes."

"I know Babe, but I need to be there when the A.D.A. sits down with Burgess. You could stay here and catch more sleep if you want to."

"Not a chance in hell," Castle replied."This is my case twice over, as part of your team and as a P.I. for the Nussbaums. I'm not missing anything."

"And I wouldn't really want you to. Can you start coffee while I jump in the shower?" Kate proposed.

Castle sat on the edge of the bed, still wearing his clothes from the night before. "Double strength. We're going to need it."

* * *

Fordham Burgess was led from the holding cell where he had been conferring with his lawyer, Carter Briggs. His bloodshot eyes showed he'd had even less sleep than the Castles and he displayed none of the arrogance that had been his hallmark. A.D. A. Toni Gonzales waited in interrogation with Kate while Castle watched with Ryan and Esposito through the one way mirror. "Mr. Briggs," Toni began, "I am given to understand that your client has information regarding the actions of the Albanian mob in connection with illegal trafficking in human organs and specifically relating to a suspect now identified only as Kreu."

"That is correct," Briggs confirmed, "but we need assurances of a deal. Since an organ removal never actually took place, my client serves no jail time."

Toni's eyes hardened. "Mr. Briggs, the only reason an organ removal never took place is that Captain Beckett's team prevented it. And our office must also be assured that your client has not successfully participated in previous efforts. However, if that proves to be the case, and your client's information proves to to be sufficient to indict the person known as Kreu and expose his operations, we have a deal."

Briggs looked at Burgess, who nodded. Kate leaned forward. "First question, what is the true identity of Kreu?"

Burgess clasped and unclasped his hands nervously. "You need a little background. For some time, I have been a physician to Rita Carcani, Kreu's mother."

"Wait a minute," Beckett interrupted. "There is no record of Rita Carcani being anyone's mother."

"There is no record that she gave birth," Burgess corrected, "because she didn't. Her illness made it impossible for her to safely carry a child. She used a surrogate. The man you know as Kreu is Davud Demachi, the son of Rita Carcani and Edi Demachi."

"Hey," Castle told Ryan and Esposito as they heard Burgess' story, "I heard about Edi Demachi when I was talking to Sal Cardano to research a book. The families hated him because he was constantly trying to invade their territory. He was pretty successful at it too. He had drug operations and gambling. He also had gangs who committed robberies, something the Cardanos really didn't like because it attracted too much police presence. Supposedly about ten years ago Edi disappeared from the scene. That must have been when Davud took over."

"Castle," Esposito chided, "we're trying to listen here." Castle continued watching silently.

"How did you get involved with Demachi's organ trafficking operation?" Kate asked Burgess.

"I haven't been involved long," Burgess asserted. "As I told you, I'd been Rita Carcani's physician for some time. I performed a transplant on her. I was called to her home recently. I was told the surgeon the organization had been employing was out of the picture and promised a steady income to excise organs. An ex-con surgeon doesn't have many viable prospects."

Kate glared at him. "If you're trying to garner our sympathy for having your opportunities cut short for trying to rape a nurse, Fordham, you're wasting your breath. Who exactly made the offer to employ you to steal organs?"

"Davud Demachi. He described the operation, told me about the clinic and his connection with Debora Halil. He arranged the whole thing."

Kate shoved a legal pad and a pen across the table. "Fine, now write every detail of everything you had to do with Davud Demachi down."

"Wow!" Castle exclaimed. "We don't even need Debora's testimony do we?"

Ryan shook his head. "We do. Burgess is an accessory. The testimony of one accessory isn't enough to take someone down. You need two. The captain and Ms. Gonzalez still have work to do."

"In that case," Castle responded, "I'm going to order some pizzas."

"Don't forget the double jalapenos, Bro," Esposito reminded him.

Castle's preference ran to a different form of heat, but that would have to wait until later. He nodded his acknowledgment.

* * *

Debora Halil rubbed her yellowed fingers together wishing for a cigarette. Her attorney, Julia Boggs, had not been encouraging. Debora's involvement with the death of a twelve year old girl was the sort of thing that made juries want to throw a defendant into the deepest hole. The last thing Debora needed was a trial. Julia had a reputation for sealing deals. Debora hoped it was well deserved.

Fed and caffeinated, Kate felt ready for round two. She still had garlic on her breath from the pizzas Castle had delivered to the precinct, but couldn't have cared less if Debora Halil was offended. Kate actually looked forward to making the woman's experience as unpleasant as possible. She did manage to sit far enough away from Toni to avoid breathing in the face of the A.D.A..

"Ms. Halil," Toni began, "I'm sure Ms. Boggs has informed you, but I want to be clear. If any of your information proves to be less than either truthful or complete, any deal will be null and void. As you seem to have no wish to throw yourself on the mercy of the court, be advised that you are throwing yourself on mine and I don't tolerate being screwed with. Do you understand?"

Forcing the words through a fear constricted throat, Debora replied that she did.

"How long have you been in contact with Davud Demachi?" Kate inquired.

"Debora thought for a moment. "I can't tell you exactly. I met him when he accompanied his mother to the hospital for treatment. We actually went outside at the same time to catch a smoke. He could tell I was upset and asked me what my problem was. I explained that I had just gone through a divorce and my deadbeat ex-husband had taken everything and completely screwed up my credit. I was about to be thrown out of my apartment. He offered a way out. I didn't know anyone was going to die."

"You mean you didn't want to know," Toni accused. "How many organs did you broker?"

"I didn't keep count, but at least one every couple of weeks. I had no control over how donors were pre-screened, but I made sure the blood typing and tissue testing was done. The organs went to different hospitals. We probably saved quite a few lives," Debora pleaded.

"Unless you count the donors who died and Carrie Nussbaum," Kate retorted.

"Miss Boggs, we'll need your client to provide any records that exist of payments and conversations between herself and Davud Dimachi," Toni demanded.

"Then we have a deal?" Julia pressed.

"If and only if everything Ms. Halil provides and has told us here checks out," Toni declared.

"In the meantime," Kate added, "I don't think Ms, Halil will have any more worries about making rent on an apartment."

* * *

Kate lay on the couch in the loft with her head pillowed against Castle's chest. The light from the fireplace reflected from the wine glass she twisted in her hands. "Castle, you know what bothers me the most about this whole case?"

Castle tucked her head comfortingly beneath his chin. "What?"

"Everyone was trying to make a play for sympathy. Burgess, Halil, they acted as if their own troubles justified what they did. No one took responsibility for anything."

Castle kissed her temple. "Then there are some people who take too much responsibility for everything. It can be an ugly dirty world Kate, but every day you work to clean up a corner of it. No one can do more than that."

Kate sank deeper into the warmth of his body. "Castle, I just know that I have to try."

Castle wrapped his arms around her more tightly. "One of the many reasons I love you."


	18. Chapter 18

CBs

Chapter 18

Castle made a face with raisins on Kate's bowl of oatmeal and pushed it to her across the counter. "Going for heavy fortification for the CB case wrap up meeting?" Castle asked.

"Not so much fortification as staying power, Castle," Kate explained. "You're not bringing me snacks at the precinct as much anymore now that your Nussbaum case is finished and your other P.I. business has picked up.

"And you miss me?" Castle interrupted.

"Oh course I do, Babe," Kate confirmed, leaning over the counter for a quick kiss. "But the point I'm making is that so much more came out of the case, including the boost to your other work. The CBs have uncovered so many aspects of the Demachi operations it will affect every division in the city. Actually I can't wait until you hear about all of it."

"I look forward to it. But then why did you schedule it so late in the morning?" Castle wondered. "I would have thought you'd have gone for bright and early."

"I'll be at the precinct bright and early and so will Ray Edelson. He's out of rehab and has been approved for limited duty. I need to get him up to date and bounce some ideas off him before I meet with the CBs. So I'll see you later?"

"Count on it," Castle declared.

* * *

Even though Esposito sat closer to Angela Lopez than should have been necessary, no space remained at the conference table with all the members of the CBs present. "You've all been copied on everyone's reports, but I'd like each of you to summarize," Kate requested. "We can just go clockwise, if Sergeant Seacrest would start.

"While this case was not deeply involved with sexual violence," Sylvie explained, "one aspect of it was. Davud Demachi was more than slightly into kink. The building at 900 Lydig where he mysteriously spent so many late night hours was outfitted as his private sexual playground. A number of women who resembled a younger Rita Carcani were forced to work there, acting as dominatrices for Demachi. Unfortunately, he was not the only one to feel a lash. If the women didn't play the role to his standards, they were beaten as well. Those women have been given counseling and entree into a support system."

"Eww," Castle exclaimed with a shudder, "that's worse than something I'd put in one of my books."

"I don't think anyone's ever accused Demachi of being a nice guy, Castle," Esposito commented.

"Let's continue with Sergeant Lubens," Kate advised.

"Demachi presided over a sizable robbery operation. He had gangs raiding both residences and businesses in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens. There were warehouses full of stolen goods, many of which are being claimed by the victims," Carl reported.

"And Detective Chekov?" Kate continued.

"We've recovered the records of the gambling operations. We were able to close down a number of games, although I suspect the Triads may try to reopen them. We'll have to keep eyes on that," Sergei related. "We also seized a great deal of cash."

"Detective Morano?" Kate prompted.

"My report ties in with Sergeant Seacrest's. Some of the women forced into sexual service for Demachi had been reported as missing. Those cases are now closed."

"Garrett?" Kate inquired.

Bill smiled in satisfaction. "Demachi was compulsive about documenting his activities. Computerized records were recovered from the Carcani estate in Forest Hills Gardens. Through those, we were able to track down a number of properties used for illegal purposes and not listed under Demachi's holding company, some of which were the warehouses Carl described. Those buildings have been seized by the city. Those records will also hammer the final nails into a lot of coffins. Neither Demachi or any of his lieutenants can expect to see anything but prison walls for the rest of their lives."

"Detective Lopez?" Kate queried.

"The gangs are relieved to have Demachi's crews out of their territory, but they're also viewing their departure as an opportunity to fill the vacuum. That's especially true of the Westies. Finn Roarke is still staunchly opposed to running drugs, but he has his eyes on the gambling that's not in the Triad's territory, as well as protection. That is something we'll have to monitor."

Esposito had to pull his eyes away from the woman next to him when Kate called his name. "ESU cooperated on a number of the raids on Demachi operations. There were no injuries on the N.Y.P.D. side, but some of the dirt bags who chose to resist will be serving part of their time in the prison ward."

Ryan observed his partner's fascination with amusement and was slightly startled when Kate called on him. "Large amounts of drugs, particularly the new cheaper heroin, were recovered, as well as considerable cash generated by drug sales. The drugs will be in evidence until the cases are adjudicated, then they're pegged for disposal. But as Detective Lopez pointed out, the other gangs are eyeing moving in where Demachi operations have been closed down. My contacts on Staten Island have noticed activity in that direction. Narcotics will be maintaining close surveillance on the situation."

"Castle?" Kate invited.

"The Nussbaums are using the threat of a lawsuit to force the hospital to tighten their controls and better vet their employees. They've also started a foundation to aid other families with children in need of transplants. They're determined to see something positive come out of their tragedy."

"I have an update for you all as well," Kate announced. "Due to the large seizures involved with this case, the purse strings of the N.Y.P.D. have been loosened. That means the restrictions on overtime have been reduced, over-delayed maintenance will be performed, and some of the holes in our force due to attrition can be filled. You should all be very proud of yourselves. The efforts of this group have benefited the whole department and the whole city. I hope that is the sort of accomplishment that will encourage you to bring any other potential cases to the attention of the team."

"While it's a little early in the day for a congratulatory drink," Castle added, "for you and your friends and partners, drinks tonight at the Old Haunt are on the house." Castle handed out stacks of chits as the members of the team left.

Kate still sat at the table thoughtfully. Castle caught her gaze. "What?"

"I was just thinking about my meeting with Ray Edelson this morning," Kate confided.

"What happened?" Castle asked.

"Obviously Ray's duties are going to be purely administrative for a while, maybe permanently. That will take a lot off Carl Lubens' plate, but Ray wants to handle as much as he can. The problem is with his leg, not with his head. He's willing to take paperwork like requisitions off my desk. He's also going to be working with a cadre of retired officers to brainstorm on streamlining procedures. That will give me more time to keep my boots on the streets, where I can keep a handle on what my people are facing day to day."

"Or maybe even put those boots between the sheets?" Castle suggested hopefully.

Kate caressed his cheek. "Babe, I think I can take then off for that. But yes, more time with you too."

"I'll drink to that," Castle replied enthusiastically, "so can you make it to the Old Haunt tonight?'

"Wouldn't miss it," Kate replied.

* * *

The revels were in full swing at Castle's bar when he and Kate made their entrance. Ryan and Jenny were crooning a love duet at the karaoke machine while Esposito and Angela Lopez danced. Castle offered a hand to Kate to join him on the floor. Kate happily laid her head on his shoulder, swaying gently to the music, but another sound intruded. The insistent bleating of Kate's phone signaled a major emergency.


	19. Chapter 19

CBs

Chapter 19

"What's going on?" Castle asked as Kate put away her phone.

"Big water pipe broke. The whole parking lot of the precinct is flooded and they're trying to block the water from getting inside." Kate strode toward the door. "I need to get over there now. Glad we brought the Ferrari."

Castle parked as close to the 12th as he could, but he and Kate still had a couple of blocks to walk before they started navigating around the emergency vehicles. Spouting water was clearly visible and they slogged through the swirling rush to reach a side door on the higher side of the building, where Kate swiped a card to get in. The two lowest floors were a mess, with inches of still rising water. Cops on night duty scurried to move as much off the floor and out of lower desk and file drawers as they could. Kate and Castle pitched in to help while Kate kept in touch with the sergeant supervising the redirection of traffic outside.

When the Castles had done all they could do to mitigate the damage, they mounted the stairs to Kate's office, mercifully on a dry upper floor. They sank soggily to the couch. Castle put an arm around Kate and wrapped her in his still relatively dry wool jacket. "You're shivering."

"I wish I could get a shower and some clean clothes," Kate lamented, "but the locker room is downstairs. And Babe, you're soaked too! I need to stay. I'm going to call in the next shift and have them wear rain gear, but you should go home and get changed."

"Listen," Castle proposed, "I'll go, but I'll come back with dry clothes for you and those waders we used on that fishing trip we took last year. There's no point in getting wet again."

Castle let himself into the loft, leaving his wet shoes by the door and removing his damp socks, before padding to the bedroom. He had left his coat with Kate and was chilled to the bone, but he wanted to return to Kate as quickly as possible. Stripping off his clothes, he took a the shortest hot shower he could, just enough to force some warmth back into his body. He dressed quickly and grabbed what he needed for Kate.

Kate had both hands wrapped around a mug of hot coffee when Castle returned. "There's a fresh pot in the break room," she told him. "I thought we'd both need it."

Castle put down the large duffel bag he'd brought. "Great, I'll be right back."

Kate was just finishing drawing the blinds of her office when Castle returned, a steaming cup in hand. Kate appreciatively pulled a thick towel and cozy fleece running clothes out of the bag Castle brought. "These are perfect, Castle."

"Well I do have some experience with little girls who've splashed too long in puddles. Normally that would also involve a hot bath and rubber dinosaurs."

Kate pulled on the dry outfit. "We can get to that later. The water department has to shut off the main to fix the geyser out there. That means the precinct and the whole area will be without water for a few hours. Warnings will be going out on the local news on TV, radio, and the web, but I'll have to put everyone I can out there to help with whatever our water deprived citizens need. That will also mean a skeleton crew here. We'll be limited to bottled water and buckets to flush toilets. I have people filling them now. The estimate is that the shutoff will last six to eight hours while they get a backhoe in the parking lot. Then once the water is back on, we're going to have to start clean-up."

"And of course the captain stays through the whole mess," Castle declared matter-of-factually.

"Castle that really goes without saying. That's what being in charge means. But that doesn't mean you have to stay."

Castle snorted. "Don't be ridiculous! I'll make coffee or do whatever else I can to help. And I can make food runs to keep the troops fueled."

* * *

The water department's estimate proved to have been optimistic, but The Castles finally managed to drag themselves back to the loft. Kate was tired, but unable to relax after the long and frustrating night. "Time for a post puddle bath?" Castle suggested.

"Sounds wonderful," Kate agreed. A layer of foam sent cherry scented vapors into the air as Kate climbed into the over-sized tub and eased herself into the heated water. Castle climbed in behind her, his legs bracketing her body. Kate leaned against the comforting solidity of his body. "What Castle, no dinosaurs?"

"They're diurnal," he explained. "They're not up yet. You'll have to settle for me." Castle dunked a bath sponge beneath the bubbles and drew it slowly over Kate's skin, beginning at her shoulders. Moving lower, he circled her awakening pink tips before working his way even further down. Kate gasped and arched involuntarily as he massaged what had become exquisitely sensitive. "Shh, just let it happen," he whispered. She could feel his arousal against her back as he continued his attentions, finally replacing the sponge with his fingers. The water sloshed, almost over topping the rim as she moved urgently against his hand, desire mounting with every nanosecond that passed. She turned, wrapping her legs around him in invitation. Aided by the slickness to the water, he accepted, plunging to the depths of her need. Water lapped at the top of the tub, cresting and reaching the floor as the couple drove toward their own crest. Kate's breasts were pressed almost flat against Castle's chest. Their lips met hard, tongues twining and thrusting. Water continued topping the rim, driven by their desperate motion, until the floor received it's final drenching when they found their own perfect wave.

As Castle helped Kate from the slowly cooling tub, their feet met a soggy mat. They pulled towels from wire shelves to sop up the rest of the bubbly mess. Drops flew from Kate's hair as they worked. "Castle, we're cleaning up another flood."

Castle grinned. "Yeah, but this one was was so worth it!" As they loaded soaked towels into the washing machine, Castle's mouth pursed in thought. "Kate, didn't I read that the pipes in in the precinct area were redone just a few years ago? Come to think of it, I remember the parking lot being torn up and the 12th being shut down for a day. We were at the loft, curled up with popcorn, hot chocolate, and catching up on a week's worth of _Temptation Lane_. We had a great break, but the new pipes they put in while we were enjoying it should have been good for decades. The flood at the precinct should never have happened."

Kate's smiled in remembrance of the day, before her brow furrowed. "Babe, you may be right, but I don't know anything about pipes."

"I know a guy," Castle declared proudly.

Kate laughed. "Of course you do."

Bradley Hinkle, civil engineer, sat with a pile of files in front of him across the kitchen table from Castle and Kate. "Rick, I checked the city records. What you remembered is accurate. The water system was supposed to have been updated. It should have stood up to a major storm or a minor earthquake. Usually a breach like the one in the pipe at the precinct happens because some idiot digs in the wrong place. But in this case, there was nothing like that. Your suspicions sounded like a Nikki Heat novel, but I checked like you asked. There have been other failures that shouldn't have happened, not just in the water system. Road repairs have been required at a much higher rate than should have been necessary. New buildings have needed rebuilding. Something is definitely rotten in New York City."

A/N I had this terrible urge to bring in Mop. Of course he would have hated not being able to watch the bath.


	20. Chapter 20

CBs

Chapter 20

Kate's mood at the meeting of the CBs was somber. "First, at least for now, nothing I'm about to tell you can leave this room. You are all aware of the recent flooding in this building. That minor catastrophe exposed a much larger problem." Kate began passing file folders around the table. "I'm keeping all of this in hard copy right now, I have no idea who is involved and paper can't be hacked. I've handed you a lot of information and it will take some time to digest, but I'll give you a short summary.

"An investigation of that mishap uncovered a very frightening pattern. Even maintenance that has been done on schedule in our city hasn't produced the results it should have. That isn't limited to the water department. Many other departments appear to be involved. There is widespread corruption going on that is both endangering and draining the resources of our citizens. Now some of you, such as Mr. Garrett, may have the tools to contribute a lot to this investigation. For others it may be completely out of your wheelhouse. Whatever may be the case, I'm asking all of you to be aware of what's going on beneath the surface. Now I'm going to give you some time to scan through the data I've given you and then I'll take questions."

Everyone around the table except for the Castles, who had already read it, scanned through the information they had been given. His hands slightly scented by sanitizer, Castle brought in fresh coffee while they read. In a departure from his usual addiction, Castle drank honey laden tea. When she'd made it through the vanilla latte Castle crafted for her, Kate opened the floor for queries. "Captain, where'd all this come from?" Esposito wondered.

"I'll let Castle explain that," Kate responded.

Castle cleared his throat before giving a quick rundown on the information gathered by Bradley Hinkle. "I've started conducting my own investigation as well," Castle informed them. "I've been sifting through news reports for the last ten years, looking for anything suspicious. There have been a number of occurrences, some of which have turned out to be innocent results of unforeseen events. There are others that emit the foul stench of graft. We unfortunately may be seeing at least one death as well, from the collapse of a staircase in a public building."

"Ryan, Esposito, that would potentially involve homicide," Kate added. "And Detective Lopez, the community centers intended to discourage young people from joining gangs have been affected as well. Some of the intended programs haven't come to fruition. Sergeant Seacrest, it appears that funds supporting crisis intervention centers have also been diverted. Now at present we have no idea who's behind all this or where the money is going. It may be funding or supporting other criminal activity, or criminal activity may be providing funds to cause public officials to look the other way, or both."

"Have you had any input from a forensic accountant?" Bill Garrett inquired.

"I've hired one privately," Castle explained.

"As we get far enough into our investigation to determine whom we can trust, I may be able to enlist those services from the city and/or the FBI," Kate offered. "But for the moment we're keeping our cards very close to our vests. I'd like you all to take as much time as you need to study the file I've given you, then we can work out some kind of a plan."

Castle pulled out his handkerchief as the CBs filed out of the room, and captured a body wrenching cough. Kate brushed back the hair on his forehead as she felt for fever. "Babe, I'm pretty much over the cold we picked up from getting soaked, but I think you're getting worse. You should get some rest, or maybe see if the doctor thinks you need an antibiotic or something. Mine never went to my chest the way yours has."

Castle's head was pounding and he'd developed a tickle in the back of his throat that refused to relent, despite a pocket full of cough drops. He hating looking weak in front of his wife, but he was pretty sure she was right. "I'll see if Dr. Shapiro has an opening," he agreed. "But I need to check in at my office too. I have a couple of cases going, embezzlement. I have the forensic accountant on those too. He's really young, although everyone's looking younger to me these days, but Kovacs is really quick. Not what you'd expect when you hear the word accountant. He'll probably have something I can report to my clients. He does the work and I get to claim the credit."

Kate nodded, her face still creased with concern. "Take care of yourself. I'll check in with you later."

* * *

Alexis looked up from her tablet as Castle entered the reception area of Castle investigations. "Dad you look like hell."

"Thank you," Castle returned, an edge of annoyance added to the rasp of his voice."What are you doing?"

"I'm going through a reference Belazs Kovacs recommended. It's really interesting," Alexis replied, bouncing a little in her chair.

"Excuse me, am I suffering a feverish hallucination or did you just refer to a treatise on accounting as interesting?"

"It's not just the accounting, Dad," Alexis insisted. "With forensic accounting it's following a trail, tracking down clues. It's like what you do in the field except without someone pepper spraying or trying to shoot you. You know I've always been a mathlete. This is kind of the best of both worlds. I get to use my skills with numbers and chase down the bad guys. I like it. Oh, and there are dead tree versions of Balazs' reports on your desk."

"Okay, I'll go through them and make the calls to our clients. And as far as my looking like hell, I'm taking care of it. I promised Kate I'd see Doctor Shapiro but I couldn't get an appointment until four this afternoon. So after I justify Castle Investigations' retainers, I'm going to try to grab a nap. Don't buzz me unless the alert level reaches at least an orange."

Castle would have loved to use a couple of fingers of scotch to down what was labeled as a maximum strength cold and flu capsule. But the ridiculously tiny print on the package warned against alcohol intake, so he settled for bottled water before picking up Kovacs' reports. He considered Alexis' newest interest and decided he liked it too. If she wanted to chase criminals from behind a desk instead in the mean streets of the city, he was all for it. He'd certainly sleep better knowing his daughter was out of the line of fire.

Castle worked his way through the figures and Kovacs' explanations, which were in remarkably clear prose. Castle was impressed. Fortunately, so were his clients. Except for impromptu booty calls with Kate, the couch in Richard Castle Investigations' hidden room had never issued a more compelling invitation. Huddling under a blanket to fight off the chills that had decided to fight his headache for attention, Castle hoped that Dr. Shapiro could offer something more effective than his selection from the drugstore cold and flu aisle. He fell into a restless sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

CBs

Chapter 21

"Dad!" Alexis called gently.

Castle slowly forced his eyes open. "Alexis? What's going on?"

"Nothing. Everything's fine, but it's three-thirty and your appointment with Dr. Shapiro is in half an hour."

Castle got unsteadily to his feet. "Right. Thanks. I'll call you later."

"You won't have to because I'm taking you," Alexis insisted.

"You don't need to do that," Castle protested, "I can catch a cab."

"Dad, I'm taking you," Alexis repeated. "Kate called earlier to check on you. When I told her you'd been asleep all afternoon, she was worried. She asked me to. So unless you want to take it up with her later..."

Castle grabbed a tissue from a nearby box and coughed up something thick, ugly, and green. "Fine," he conceded.

* * *

The nurse had already taken Castle's temperature and blood pressure and asked the usual questions. Instead of his usual scroll through his tweets while waiting for the doctor to make an appearance, Castle lay back on the examining table and closed his eyes. The doctor's voice seemed far away. "Rick, can you sit up for me?" Opening his eyes again, Castle took the doctors extended gloved hand hand pulled himself up."You have a temperature of a hundred and three. Combined with the coughing and the chills, that is concerning to me. I'm going to check your lungs." Shapiro put the earpieces of his stethoscope in his ears and gave Castle instructions to take deep breaths. Castle tried unsuccessfully to comply. Shapiro frowned. "You appear to have developed pneumonia. Given the severity of your symptoms, I'd recommend admitting you to the hospital."

"Really?" Castle asked. "You're going to freak out my daughter. Can't you just give me some magic pills?"

"I could prescribe an antibiotic," Shapiro responded, "but there wouldn't be anything magic about it. When an infection reaches this level it's often not easy to knock out. The best thing to do is run some tests to figure out what we're dealing with and deluge you with IV antibiotics. We can also give you IV fluids which will make you feel a lot better. And Rick, Alexis isn't the little girl who tried to pretend she wasn't afraid of shots anymore. She's a formidable young woman and she's seen you in the hospital before. She can handle this - probably better than you can. So why don't you call that gorgeous wife of yours and then let Alexis take you over. I'll call ahead to slash through the bureaucracy a bit."

* * *

"Where's the captain?" Ryan asked.

"Hospital. Alexis took Castle in," Esposito replied. "Doc thinks he's got pneumonia."

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, he didn't sound good at all this morning. Hope he'll be okay. But anyway, I've got a line on that death from the collapsing staircase Captain Beckett mentioned. It was part of an annex to a records storage building. The vic was Mary Brodsky, single mother of two. Widow. Husband was killed in Afghanistan. There's no family to ask questions. The kids are in foster care."

"Son a bitch!" Esposito exclaimed. "Hell of a thing to happen to a soldier's family. Well we're asking questions, lots of questions. What else have you got?"

"Not much yet. The annex was built by Rampart Enterprises. Typical thing. Lowest bidder. Rampart is a subsidiary of Trimp. I've put in a request for the records, but Trimp has an army of lawyers. But I have the name of the building inspector that signed off on the staircase." Ryan held up the keys to their unit. "Want to go talk to him?"

Esposito snatched the keys out of Ryan's hand. "Yeah Bro, I wanna talk to him alright, And he better have some answers."

* * *

Castle had IV lines running into both arms. "You don't have to stay," he told Kate. "You've seen Alexis is here. She's just grabbing a snack. Mother's on her way. I know how busy things are at the precinct and the CBs have the new investigation."

"Edelson's handling most of my paper," Kate confided. "If anything critical comes up, I'll get a text, a call, and probably ten emails. For now at least, I'm here. You look better, but you don't sound it."

"Is that your wifely way of telling me to shut up?" Castle teased.

"No, if I want you to stop talking, I'll tell you. Not that you've ever paid much attention when I have. Before she popped down the cafeteria Alexis said something about Balazs Kovacs, your forensic accountant. Looked like she has more than just a professional interest. Her eyes had that 'God, he's cute,' look."

"Did I miss that?" Castle shook his head. "I must really have been out of it. She told me she's interested in forensic accounting as a possible path for her investigative career. I didn't catch that her interest was for that particular forensic accountant."

"Your cluelessness can be excused by your feverish haze. But her interest could be in both. It's a solid career. She'd never be out of work. There are more people trying to cheat the system every day."

"I hope so. I prefer not to think about people pointing guns at my daughter. Obviously Balasz has yet to have my full fatherly scrutiny as my daughter's suitor - not that Alexis would give a damn what I think anyway. But I like his work. I had two happy clients this morning."

"I think you might be surprised, Castle. After her fiasco with Pi, I think Alexis' opinion about your judgment rose. But tell me about the cases."

"I'm not sure I should, P.I. discretion and all that." Kate looked skeptical. "Okay, but no names. I was looking at two family owned companies. The executive slots were filled by nepotism rather than on merit. In one, a guy who was passed over got mad and started skimming. He tried to cover it up by altering records of payments to the company to make them seem smaller than they were. But he wasn't as smart as he thought. Balasz tracked down the discrepancies. I reported what he found to my clients. I'm not sure if they'll just allow the guy to quietly make restitution or they'll press charges. They're very concerned with maintaining a spotless reputation. They may just go for getting their money back and firing the guy.

The other one is way more juicy. The villain of the piece is a family member. He wasn't bad at his job and earning a nice enough salary to keep a family pretty well. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't enough to keep two families well."

Kate's brows rose. "He was a bigamist?"

Castle started to laugh and ended up in a coughing fit, but his eyes still glowed when he got his breath back. "Cool right? If bigamy weren't so overdone on cable right now, it would make a good book. Anyway, he had one in Westchester and the other in Queens. Using my brilliant investigative techniques I tracked them down. He used the old working late, staying at the company apartment excuse. I followed him and found both families. One of his wives would probably have twigged eventually anyway - maybe hired Richard Castle Investigations herself. But the loss of funds showed up first. The company had been doing pretty well, there was no reason for it to suddenly start sliding. The matriarch of the family, who is also the CEO, got suspicious and called me. I exposed the bigamy and Balasz traced the missing funds. Restitution won't do for this one. That money has long been transformed into kids' clothes, electronics, and tuition. He will be facing charges for bigamy and embezzlement."

Kate chewed on her lip. "I feel sorry for the families. They could lose everything when Double Daddy goes to prison."

"Uh uh, that's the good part. Now that the head of the family knows the truth, they'll be taken care of," Castle explained. "Hell's only going to rain on Daddy Douche Bag - I like your Double Daddy too."

"So, all's well that ends well?" Kate asked.

Martha swept in before Castle could answer. "Darling, oh look at you. You poor thing! You look like Maury Vlostok before he dies in the third act. "

"Nice to see you too, Mother," Castle responded.

Kate rolled her eyes and kissed her husband on the forehead. "Don't worry," she whispered, "I've seen that play. He only pretends to be dead. He comes back looking terrific at the end of act four."


	22. Chapter 22

CBs

Chapter 22

"How's Castle?" Ryan asked as Kate made her way to her office.

"He's doing better," Kate replied, her relief obvious. "The hospital should cut him loose today or tomorrow. He's been spending his time in bed researching the CBs' case, searching old news reports for other unexplained failures of city maintenance and building collapses, especially anything connected in any way to Trimp. He's got Balazs, that's his forensic accountant, on it too, looking at Trimp's financial dealings. Of course those are huge. Trimp Corporation has a finger in everything. What have you got?"

"The building inspector Espo and I were looking for, Ridley Mason, when he wasn't at the address I had for him, we started checking. He moved out. Didn't even collect his deposit, just pulled up a truck, loaded up his stuff, and moved out. None of his neighbors knew where he went. He didn't give notice to the city; he just stopped showing up for work. We checked with the post office. He gave them a forwarding address, but it's just one of those boxes people use for a business mail drop. There's a unit sitting on it now to see if he shows up, and Espo and I will be relieving them in an hour. Javi really wants to get his hands on this guy."

"Yeah, well just so he doesn't do it in way that will make us have to cut Mason loose or have to explain to Internal Affairs. Keep him cool Kevin," Kate advised.

"I'll take care of it, Captain," Ryan agreed.

"Yo Ryan," Esposito yelled across the bullpen. "We got a body, right near the stakeout at the mailbox place. Our unit there says it's that dirt bag Ridley Mason."

"Go!" Kate urged. "I'll be right behind you."

Lanie knelt by the body that lay in an alley that led from a parking lot to the street. "Got a COD?" Kate queried.

Lanie stood to face her friend. "The ever popular blunt force trauma. Blow came from the back. Guy probably never knew what hit him."

"Probably on his way from his car to his box," Ryan added. "We're trying to figure out which car now, so we can backtrack his route with the traffic cams, maybe see if anyone was following him."

"Seems like he might have been expecting trouble," Esposito offered. "Scumbag had a thirty-eight on him. Never got a chance to use it."

"He hasn't been here long," Lanie reported. "From liver temp I'd say he's been dead less than an hour."

Ryan nodded. "That fits. Lady coming from the parking lot found the body and called 911. The unit we had on stakeout was closest and responded. They recognized him from his photo right away."

Kate looked around. "I suppose it would be too much to expect that there would be a camera in this alley."

"No cameras here," Esposito confirmed. "None in the lot either. They have a security cam at the mailbox store, but shithead never got there."

"Anything on him besides the gun?" Kate inquired.

Ryan nodded. "Wallet and keys, but no phone. Whoever it was didn't want us to know who Mason was talking to."

"Well if our perp searched him for his phone, he might have left some DNA behind, maybe even prints," Kate mused "Lanie?"

"We'll be checking, Kate. It will be a while before CSU runs the clothes and we fume the body. I'll let you know."

* * *

Castle lay propped up by pillows while Kate recounted the day's events. "It is sort of poetic that the guy who let Mary Brodsky get killed on that staircase dies by having his head bashed in," Castle commented. "I was just wondering, if Ridley Mason was nervous enough to be packing heat, wouldn't he have heard someone coming up behind him?"

"I was wondering about that too," Kate acknowledged. "But Lanie checked his medical records. He was hearing impaired. He had aids, but he didn't have them in. Lanie said that's common when people are just walking around in the city, because the aids also amplify background noise and it can be uncomfortable. Actually his problem helped to track down which car was his. None of the ones in the lot were registered to him, but one had a sticker warning the driver was hearing impaired, and his fingerprints were on the handle. His aids were sitting in the console between the front seats. Ryan is scrubbing the traffic footage for blocks around to see if a car was following his and what cars left the lot during and right after our kill window. What have you come up with?"

"Besides noticing that the wi fi here sucks? They're supposed to free me of my shackles tomorrow. I can't wait to get a decent signal again, not to mention having a source of warmth in my bed more exciting than blankets."

Kate smiled and took his hand. "I'm looking forward to having some heat back in bed too, Babe. Were you able to get anything at all?"

"Mmm, with some help from Balazs. Our boy Trimp has been very busy, but his business acumen has not been nearly what his bluster on his reality show claims. He's been on the edge of bankruptcy four times and each time he's been bailed out by getting some sweet deal the taxpayers of New York shelled out for. He has contracts everywhere in the city. And there have been problems with a lot of them."

"Like what?" Kate questioned.

"He has a cement company. A number of his projects haven't stood up over time. There are a couple of suspicious competing contractors who have taken samples and had them analyzed. Trimp was shaving pennies by making the sand ratio too high. Trimp filed lawsuits to shut the firms publicizing those results up, but nothing really disappears completely from the web. There are still commentaries, tweets, Facebook postings.

There have been other accusations about using grades of steel that are cheaper than the ones called for in building plans, and pipes with substandard welds."

Beckett's eyes narrowed in anger. "That could be what caused the flood that put you in here."

"I haven't tracked that contract down yet, but it's very likely," Castle agreed.

"How about the staircase that killed Mary Brodsky?" Kate wondered. "That was from his Rampart subsidiary."

"I haven't found anything else on that yet either. They probably paid Ridley Mason to look the other way about something. Maybe he felt guilty about Mary Brodsky's death and tried to blow the whistle. Someone in the city government could have gotten wind of it and tipped off Trimp, who sent someone to take Mason out," Castle theorized.

"Castle, from you that's an amazingly down to earth theory. Are you still running a fever?" Kate teased.

"I hope not. They won't let me out of here if I am. Maybe I just need a couple of days to get my wild conspiracy mojo back. But seriously Kate, now two people are dead and we don't know how many related killings there were with no one making the connection. Trimp's been doing business with the city for decades. We don't know how many more people may have died just because he cut corners."

Kate squeezed his fingers. "I know Castle, but we are going to find out. And when we do, there won't be enough lawyers on the planet to let him get away with what he's done."


	23. Chapter 23

CBs

Chapter 23

"I think I found the car that was following Ridley Mason," Ryan reported to Kate. "A traffic cam caught it behind Mason's car a few blocks away at the start of our kill zone and again right near the lot. We have it pulling out again during the kill zone too. The plate's splashed with mud, so we've only got a partial. It's a Malibu, so there are a lot of matches. Espo's running through the owners now looking for the most likely suspects. Lanie said the blow came from above, but Ridley Mason was only five eight, so that gives us a wide range of heights."

"Has Lanie got prints or DNA yet?" Kate inquired.

"No usable prints. Still checking for DNA. There weren't any stray hairs that didn't belong to Mason. Lanie said Mason's clothes were full of sweat. He might have been running scared," Ryan speculated. "If there is any DNA from a suspect, it may be difficult or impossible to separate out."

"How about the car Mason was driving? If it wasn't registered to him, where'd he get it?" Kate questioned.

"Rental," Ryan replied. "Mason owned a car. Guess he didn't feel safe driving it."

Alright, stay on it," Kate instructed. "I'm going to pick up Castle at the hospital, but call me if anything pops."

"Will do," Ryan agreed.

* * *

Kate perched on the edge of their bed after tucking a comforter around Castle. "You know Babe, it looks like you were right about Mason running scared. He was even driving a rental car."

"That's strange," Castle noted.

""Why?" Kate asked.

"Because you told me the car had a sticker saying the driver was hearing impaired. Usually you'd find that on a personal car, not a rental. And it's not something rental agencies usually have sitting on the counter. Where would he get it?"

"Castle, why would that be important?" Kate puzzled. "Mason is the victim, not the killer."

"Because it might tell us whom he might have confided in. He could have gotten it from an organization for the hearing impaired. If he talked to anyone, it could have been someone there."

"Castle, you have a point. I'll have the boys trace down that sticker and talk to whomever provided it."

"Maybe there's another way of going at it," Castle suggested. "You weren't around for the particular session at the Old Haunt, but Espo told Ryan and me about the transit cop who helped him take down the dupe who was holding hostages on a subway train. You remember the plot that was orchestrated to sell flu vaccine?"

Kate nodded.

"Well, he said they bonded over both of them being in the armed services, but she ended up pushing him away. She had an eardrum blown out by an IED. She learned how to read lips. That's how she knew he was saying Lanie's name when he tackled the guy holding the gun and that's why she blew Espo off. If memory serves, and now that I'm no longer wracked with fever it should, her name is Marisa Aragon. Marisa, or another cop who's experienced a similar disability, might have an easier time getting some answers."

Kate was silent for a moment while she considered what Castle said. "It's an idea, Castle, but I don't think we want to use a transit cop unless we have to. Besides, Espo is dating Angela Lopez and having Marisa around could introduce complications that we don't need. Bad enough that he has to work with Lanie, even if she is dating that A.D.A. Marcus Weller now. I'll check the records of our detectives and see if any of them have a connection to the hearing impaired community."

"Ah, romance in the workplace, always a conundrum," Castle mused.

Kate lightly punched his arm. "Hey! Worked out pretty well for us!"

Castle reached up, plunging his fingers into her hair and pulling her toward him. "Point taken," he murmured softly, just before their lips met.

Kate sat at the conference table with Ryan, Esposito, and another familiar figure from the bullpen. Kate looked at Esposito. "I understand that you and Ryan determined that the sticker on Mason's car was provided by the organization Aware and that they have a support group for the hearing impaired and members of their families?"

Esposito nodded. "Right, Captain."

"And Bruce, according to your file, you're fluent in ASL." Kate added.

"Yes Captain," the balding detective confirmed. "My wife is deaf. Her family moved into the next apartment when I was in high school. I thought she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen, so I learned ASL to be able to talk to her. We've been together ever since. I'm familiar with Aware. We attend functions there from time to time. We actually have tickets for one this weekend. It's a fundraiser for developing better algorithms for converting speech into written language. If you've ever asked your phone a question, you know there's still a long way to go."

"You've got that right Bro," Esposito agreed.

"Sounds perfect!" Kate exclaimed. "Ryan and Esposito will give you the rundown on the case. I'll need you to see if you can get anyone talking about Ridley Mason and anything he might have said about Rampart, Trimp, or being fearful for his life. And get me some info on the project. If I know Castle, he'll want to write a check. When I left the loft, he was cursing at Siri."

Bruce's mouth turned uncharacteristically upward. "I'll do that, Captain."

Kate stayed with Ryan and Esposito after Bruce had returned to the bullpen. "Have you made any progress with possible owners of the car that was following Mason?"

"We've narrowed it down to about ten possibilities," Ryan related. "The top two of them have rap sheets - assault. We have unis bringing them in now."

Kate nodded. "Good, keep me apprised."

Kate returned to her office and picked up the phone to check on her husband. Alisha, the housekeeper answered. "Captain Beckett, I'm glad you called. I'm making sure Mr. Castle stays in bed like you asked. Your threat about making up the bed with the scratchy sheets if he leaves it for anything except to go to the bathroom worked. But I don't think he's getting much rest. He has his computer in there with him and he hasn't stopped working. He's been on the phone a lot too."

"Okay, Alisha. Let me talk to him," Kate requested.

Alisha carried the phone into the bedroom where Castle was bent intensely over his laptop. "Your wife wants to talk to you."

"Am I in trouble?" Castle asked.

Alisha shrugged and handed him the wireless receiver. Kate's voice came sternly though. "Castle, Alisha tells me you've been busy. Bed rest has two words in it you know. You're ignoring the second one."

"Kate, the nurses let me do this in the hospital," Castle protested. "I'm not tired - much. Anyway, I've been working with Balazs. He's been going through Trimp's public filings. They seemed designed to be obscure, but the bottom line is that many of his subsidiaries are just on the edge of getting by. They bid so low on projects compared to other companies that if costs on anything go up, they'll take a bath. And costs did go up, Kate. During the downturn when fuel costs skyrocketed, they could barely afford to transport materials or run their equipment. There was also a lot of money earmarked for 'good will.' That could very easily have been a cover-up for bribes. One thing though, we haven't found any connection with the community center you mentioned to Angela or the crisis intervention programs you talked to Sylvie about. Trimp may be a villain, but he may not be the only one. The silver crossing official palms may be coming out of multiple pockets."

"Castle, Bill Garrett is looking into this from the angle of city finance, He may have a take on whose palms are being crossed. One way or another, we'll get it all put together. I should be home after my shift. We can have some of Alisha's stupendous chicken soup and then curl up for a while together. Deal?"

Castle grinned into the phone. "Deal."


	24. Chapter 24

CBs

Chapter 24

Moochie Pritchard was big. His shoulders were the width of a linebacker's with full padding. His hands were the size of catcher's mitts. His feet took up half the space under the table. Even hunched in his chair he stared down at Ryan and Esposito from a height. Moochie was also nervous. His shaven bald head glistened with sweat and the huge hands had made a mangled mess of the edge of his mega sized t-shirt.

"So Moochie," Ryan inquired. "you like swinging things at people's heads?"

"Oh man," Moochie sighed. "One time, it was just one time time. Guy was hitting on my boyfriend in a bar. Kept staring at his ass when he leaned over the pool table. I asked him to cut it out, but he wouldn't stop. So I took a cue and tapped him a little."

"Tapped, meaning he needed ten stitches," Esposito pointed out.

"I'm sorry, alright? I'd had a few beers and I let things get away from me. But he's fine and I served my time, so what do you guys want with me?"

"You drive a Malibu, Moochie?" Ryan queried.

"Yeah," I wish I could afford something bigger. I barely fit. But gas prices, you know? Most of the time I just take the subway. Why?"

Ryan and Esposito ignored the question. "Were you driving it Tuesday morning?" Esposito demanded.

Moochie waggled his large head as fast as inertia would allow. "No, I took the train to work. I take the "Double C." It's almost empty and it gets me to the Bronx without changing trains. Hey, you can check my metro card. You can check with my boss too." Moochie passed a card for a sporting goods store across the table. "I was there, usual time. Sales were rotten, but I was there. Whatever you guys think I did, I didn't."

"Believe me, we will check," Esposito assured him.

Kate came out of her office as Ryan put down the phone at his desk. "How's your suspect's alibi holding up?"

"He was telling the truth," Ryan replied. "He was at work during our kill zone. Probably a good thing. I'm not sure the cuffs would have fit. The next one should be coming in any time."

* * *

"Gritch McFeely was a string bean - and mostly string. He was tall enough to have smashed Ridley Mason's head from above, but Ryan doubted that he could hit hard enough to do much damage. That he had a record for assault was confounding. Gritch seemed equally confounded by his presence in the precinct. "What is it I'm supposed to have done, Detectives?"

"First, Gritch, you were charged with assault. How did that happen?" Ryan inquired.

Gritch rolled his eyes. "That again? I thought that was finished. Look, I work in the Garson Building. It has one of those heavy revolving doors. One day I was going through and this lady claims I slammed the glass right into her. She was yelling and screaming. She told me she was going to have me arrested. I didn't believe her until the cops showed up at my desk. She wasn't hurt and there was no evidence I did anything other than go through a door. The judge dismissed the case. So what do you guys want with me now? Is there another crazy lady?"

"You drive a Malibu, Gritch?" Esposito questioned.

Gritch squared his thin shoulders with pride."Yeah. I like driving Chevies. Great cars. Buy American and all that. What about it? Somebody driving a Malibu get into a fender bender?"

Ryan leaned over the table. "We're homicide cops, Gritch. We don't care about fender benders. What we do care about is dead bodies, and someone driving a Malibu made one happen. So were you driving yours Tuesday morning?"

"Yeah," Gritch admitted, "I had an appointment with a client. I drove there. But I didn't kill anyone. I can give you his name. You can check."

Esposito passed a pad and pen across the table. "You do that."

* * *

Kate surveyed the murder board. "So your top two suspects alibied out?"

"We're working through the rest of them, Captain, but they all have clean records," Ryan replied. "There's not much to go on."

"Ryan and I have interviews set up all day," Esposito added.

"Well keep at it," Kate urged. "Something is bound to shake out."

Castle strode out of the elevator carrying a box of assorted pastries. "Babe, what are you doing here?" Kate asked.

Castle's face fell in mock dismay."Some way to greet your husband, especially when I'm bringing goodies for you and your merry band of sleuths. I'll just put these in the break room, but I do want to talk. My research may be proving fruitful."

Castle gratefully sank into the couch in Kate's office. She could see that his energy was still below its normal ebullient level. "Castle, you could have just called. You didn't have to come over here. You're still supposed to be taking it easy."

"I wanted to see you. You left before I woke up this morning. A note with a lipstick kiss is nice but in person is better, much better. Anyway, I did a three way with Balazs and Bill."

Kate raised a questioning eyebrow. "Switching teams Castle?"

"Kate," Castle reproved, "a three way conference call. So we've been looking at which officials would be capable of engineering the kind of graft we've been looking at. We've been going through the budget process. It starts with the mayor, but if Bob were going to be crooked, Bracken's people wouldn't have knocked him out of the gubernatorial race. They just would have used him against us. The City Council is the next layer down, but they preside over the big picture. They rarely have a hand in the details. Then there's a stage in the process where the budget goes to the Responsibility Center. They control the funds allocated to each agency. They would have an effect on things like community centers and support systems. Next we have Capital Expenditures. They take care of buildings and maintenance. Bribes from Trimp would most likely have gone there. City financial records are public and Balazs is going through them. I believe Alexis is doing more than a little cheer leading for his efforts. The financial records of the city employees are private. So Bill is getting together a list of likely targets for warrants. He will be sending that on to you, but even Markaway would have to be feeling very friendly to sign off on the paperwork. Other than what we've got on Ridley Mason, there isn't much that's solid. I've been thinking I should host a poker game and provide proper alcoholic lubrication."

"Babe, this has got to be costing Richard Castle Investigations a bundle. I don't think you're going to be able to recover any of it," Kate worried.

"Then you underestimate my brilliant and entrepreneurial daughter. She's been calling firms that have been competing with Trimp and losing. They're willing to kick in some large bucks to prove he's been illegally underbidding them. Alexis has dug up six of them already, and there will probably be more. When things get blown wide open, the winners will be my clients - and the citizens of New York."

Kate sat beside him, laying a hand on his arm. "Babe, I sure hope so."


	25. Chapter 25

CBs

Chapter 25

The chips were piled high in front of Judge Cecil Markaway. Castle's band of conspirators had been staked and schooled ahead of time to let the judge take as many pots as possible without arousing his suspicions. In addition to Castle, the table was occupied by Kate, Martha, Alexis, Balazs, and Bill Garrett. Castle had borrowed a bartender from the Old Haunt for the evening and had a prodigious quantity of thirst provoking snacks. The professionally served drinks flowed freely.

"If the city officials we're after had Cecil's luck in this game, they never would have needed bribes," Castle asserted.

"Fortune can turn in a moment," Martha proclaimed with all the drama of the Broadway diva she was. "Look at the Ridley Mason. One moment he's on the gravy train, the next, a slab in the morgue."

"Sounds like something you'd say, Castle," Markaway observed.

Castle swallowed, hoping the judge hadn't really picked up on the lines he'd scripted for his mother. "Actor or writer, it's in the genes. The creative spirit imbues us both."

"This is creative alright, Rick, if transparent. You put this whole scenario together to get me in a generous mood. So what do you want?"

Knowing they'd been caught out, Kate nodded at Bill, who outlined the warrants they needed. "Fine," Markaway agreed. "Seeing as there have been two deaths and yesterday the ceiling in the men's room at the court house started dropping plaster on me just as I was - never mind. I'll allow you some latitude. But now, let's play a real game, Rick. I've never seen you lose this many hands and I'm one city employee you can be sure doesn't have his hand out."

* * *

Ryan and Esposito stared at the murder board in disgust. Esposito banged his fist on a nearby desk. "Bro, that was the last of our interviews and we've got nothing. They all had solid alibis and no motive."

Kate came up behind them. "Maybe the alibis aren't as solid as you think. Have you interviewed the people providing them? You've got a hard alibi from Moochie Pritchard's metro card as well as from his boss, but what about Gritch McFeeley's client? What do you know about him?"

"Not much," Ryan admitted. "I called him and he verified that Gritch was with him."

"Go see him," Kate instructed. "There has to be a hole somewhere."

* * *

Bart Frampton had the look of someone who'd come up the hard way. Even though his suit was clearly hand tailored and his shoes spoke of Italian craftsmanship, his hands bore the remnants of callouses, his face had the creases born of long exposure to the sun, and his arms were well muscled. Though not quite as tall as Gritch, he still towered over both Ryan and Esposito. "Yeah, I was with Gritch, he confirmed. "He expedited some of our short term financing and we were going over the proposal for new construction."

"What sort of construction do you do?" Ryan inquired as casually as he could.

"We specialize in annexes, harmonizing additions with the design of established buildings." Frampton replied, caution shadowing his eyes.

"Any public buildings?" Esposito asked. "I hear the city is looking to expand the Fifty-fourth Precinct. Bunch of my bros assigned there."

Frampton drew in a breath and shook his head. "We're strictly commercial."

"Ever bid on a building for the city?" Esposito questioned.

Frampton put a finger at the side of his nose. "No, too much red tape.

"Javi, did you see that?" Ryan asked as he and Esposito left Frampton's office. "The way Frampton touched his nose, it was classic body language. He was lying."

"Yeah," Esposito agreed. "And even if Gritch doesn't have the muscle to crack a head, Frampton sure does."

"So maybe Frampton isn't just Gritch's alibi, Gritch is Frampton's." Ryan proposed.

Esposito picked up his pace toward the car. "Let's check this guy out."

* * *

Castle and Kate watched with dismay as dolly after dolly of bankers boxes were piled in the conference room at the Twelfth. "These are the records you requested from the builders contracting with Capital Expenditures," the officer in charge of the delivery explained. "There are more. We'll probably fill up the break room too."

Kate pressed her lips together as her forehead furrowed. "They're going to bury us in paper," she told Castle. "I should have known. It's a delaying tactic. My parents had that trick pulled on them constantly. Records always get delivered at the end of the day on a Friday too, just like this. Mom and Dad used to to hire paralegal temps to slog through it all."

Castle gazed at the wall of cardboard. "Quite a haul of records. See what I did there?" Kate's scowl convinced him he couldn't coax a smile from his wife. "Alright, not my most well crafted pun, but what are you going to do? I can get Alexis and Balazs in to help, but it's still going be like scaling a dead tree mountain."

"We will get it done," Kate declared, setting her jaw. "Ray Edelson has his team of retired officers. We can use them. We can also use whatever time any of the CBs can give us. If Trimp and his buddies want to stop us, they're going to have to do a lot better than this. But it is Friday and if we're lucky Bruce will be picking up information at the Aware fundraiser this weekend. That might help steer us in the right direction. Ryan and Esposito have a lead too. We can make our calls, put together a plan, and attack all this Monday morning."

* * *

The party was in full swing at Aware. Music poured though speakers, vibrating the floor, allowing even those dancers who couldn't hear it to move to the lively beat. Bruce and his wife Mira had decided sit it out, preferring slower fare. They had taken their drinks to a conversation corner where hands moved rapidly, discussing current topics. One of those topics was the death of Ridley Mason. Bruce had let Mira in on the mission and they both absorbed as much as they could. Ridley's devotion to his family was discussed with both faces and hands expressing a high degree of emotion. According to what Bruce picked up, Ridley had been determined to give his family everything possible, despite a civil service job and the high cost of living he the city. He had been particularly passionate about getting his daughter Sonia, also hearing impaired, into the best possible school. But he'd hit a wall. Then suddenly she was offered entrance, complete with a scholarship. Ridley had admitted that those events occurred with the help of one of the major movers and shakers in the city, but that the identity of Sonia's benefactor had to remain a secret. Another member of the group reported that recently Ridley had seemed nervous and upset. He'd said he'd made a hard decisions that would impact both his family and the city. Then he was reported dead. Various members threw out ideas about what supports they could offer for his widow Masha, his son Gregori, and of course Sonia. A continuous flow of food was being sent to the house and they wondered what else they could do. As soon as the event was over, Bruce and Mira wrote down everything they could remember of the conversation. Bruce wondered how he would be able to present details so obviously sympathetic to Ridley to the hot headed Esposito. He finally decided to try to pass off that chore to his very able captain.


	26. Chapter 26

CBs

Chapter 26

The Castles clinked glasses. "I'm glad you're off your meds so we can do this," Kate said, her smile not quite lighting her eyes.

"But?" Castle prompted.

"I just wish we were making faster progress on the case."

"You were the one who wanted to take a break," Castle reminded her. "We've had the day and most of tonight. For you that's a vacation. You want go to the precinct and start opening boxes?"

Kate ran her fingers over the smooth surface of the goblet containing her favorite red. She was about to reply when her cell sounded an alert. She set her wineglass down to answer. "Yeah, Lopez, I understand."

"What's Angela got?" Castle asked.

"She said there's noise coming out of The Fuerte. The rumor is that the money to block the community center came from them.

Castle touched her cheek. "Something tells me there's no way this case is waiting until Monday."

Kate covered his hand with her own, smiling wryly. "I'll get a rundown from Bruce, then I'm going to call a meeting of whichever CB's can make it in tomorrow morning."

Castle nodded knowingly. "I'll get bagels."

* * *

Kate stirred restlessly in the six A.M. darkness. Castle propped himself up on an elbow and gazed down at her. "Can't sleep?"

"Mm, My mind is running through what I want to do at the meeting this morning. There are so many angles to this case."

"You know," Castle offered, "It might not even be one case. There could be more than one cook to a sick city stew."

The corners of Kate's mouth crept upward a fraction of an inch. "I think the alliteration may be a bit much Castle, but you do have a point. But whoever is involved, I want to know about it."

Castle twined a lock of Kate's hair around his finger. "Hey, you called the meeting for ten and Bruce and his wife were out late last night. It wouldn't be polite to call him and pry him from his bed. We could do something to help you relax while you wait."

"Sure you're up to it, Babe?"

"I am up. I am so up."

Kate reached beneath the covers to stroke the rising heat. Their lips met with collision force as Castle pulled her to him. "I've missed you," he murmured as as they drew apart briefly for air.

"I've missed you too. That's something else Trimp or whoever else is responsible will need to answer for." Kate brought his hand to her breast, braless beneath her sleep shirt. "But for now we'll just have to do whatever we can to make up for lost time."

While his fingers teased a pink nub to full attention, Castle's mouth found the tender flesh above her her collar bone, revealed by the loose neckline made popular by _F_ _ame_. As his kisses found their marks lower and lower, the garment created more and more frustration. He pulled it away, tossing it in an arc to land across the room. The small silken strip of matching fabric soon followed, leaving Kate fully bared to his hunger. She grasped fists full of sheet in both hands as she thrashed beneath his searching tongue. Sensation flooded through her. She reached for him and his body jerked at her touch as she encircled his arousal. The door to an intimate tunnel desperate to be explored was achingly open. "Now Babe," she whispered.

Castle rose briefly above her, then filling his hands with the finely sculpted globes below her back, he flipped her on top of him. She took him in, sighing as the longing emptiness within her was filled. He cupped her breasts again as they moved together, need becoming more urgent with every thrust. Kate bent to capture his lips, their tongues meeting in a wild twirling dance. Kate could feel the demanding excitation spreading from cell to cell until every muscle reacted in violent fulfillment. Castle exploded within her as his breath became a gasp. Sated, she fell against him in ecstatic exhaustion.

* * *

Surrounded by boxes, the conference table, laden with not only with bagels but cream cheese and smoked salmon, was incompletely populated. Carl Lubens, Sylvie Seacrest, and Sergei Checkov had other commitments, but the rest of the CB's were eager to share with the group, led by an uncharacteristically relaxed Captain Beckett. "Esposito, did you and Ryan have something to report?" she invited.

Esposito swiped at a smear of cream cheese that had stuck itself to his upper lip. "We've been looking into Gritch McFeeley's alibi, Bart Frampton. The man is a lying scuz. He told us that he'd never applied for a city contract. Ryan and I checked. He's lost out on twelve of them in the past decade. He was underbid every time until recently."

"By some subsidiary of Trimp, I'm guessing," Castle interjected.

"Bingo!" Esposito exclaimed.

"Sometimes by Rampart, sometimes by one of the others," Ryan added. "Each time under by just the fraction enough to snag the deal. But then Trimp became an investor in Frampton's operation and suddenly things turned around. Frampton has three projects going now."

"Mucho bucks," Esposito put in. "Frampton's operation has been at this for generations. He came up working for his father; had to pound boards with the rest of the crew. After he finally got to take over as boss things turned to crap. Looks like that was when Trimp started grabbing all the contracts."

Kate nodded. "But now Frampton's in on the operation."

"And if Ridley Mason blew the whistle, Frampton would have seen his business go to hell again," Castle concluded. "And Gritch worked with Frampton, probably because he stood to lose a healthy commission. So they followed Ridley Mason in Gritch's car and Frampton has more than enough strength to deliver the fatal blow."

"From what Bruce told me, Ridley Mason used a big shot contact to get his daughter into an upper class school," Kate related. "To me that means more than just a bribe from Rampart. To pull that off, Ridley must have had contact with the big man himself or someone close to him. Then if whoever that was thought Ridley was wavering, he could have passed the word to Frampton. There are a lot of transactions involved in this case." She waved a hand at the boxes. "Evidence of at least one of them has got to poke it's way out of all of this somehow. But before any of you who can, get started on that, we need to hear from Detective Lopez."

Esposito smiled his encouragement as Angela began. "As I told Captain Beckett, The Fuerte may be behind the failure of the community center project. From what I heard, their leadership was not happy with the prospect that possible members might be pulled in another direction. A portion of their proceeds from drug and weapons sales were earmarked to prevent it. That money went to someone in the Responsibility Center, I'm working my sources to determine who. The Fuerte's put up their usual wall of silence, but some of the younger homeboys are unhappy. I may be able to shake loose a name."

Kate could see Esposito nodding his approval.

"Keep us posted," Kate instructed. "Now I hope those of you who have the time will stay and help us tackle the piles of paper."

"And if the bagels aren't enough, later there will be barbecue," Castle promised. "Tell your friends."


	27. Chapter 27

CBs

Chapter 27

Castle distributed a new round of espressos to the droopy-lidded denizens who still remained at the conference table. His watch showed eleven P.M.. Alexis and Balazs had left two hours before for a late dinner, so Alexis could be alert for class the next day. Bill Garrett had succumbed to eyes that refused to be forced to focus and Ryan had returned to a increasingly annoyed Jenny. Esposito and Angela Lopez were still at their task, although it was obvious that Esposito was hoping for a more pleasant one.

Sipping at the intense dark brew, Castle retook his seat next to Kate. The creases between his brows deepened as he stared at an entry listed as a payment. "Something, Castle?" Kate inquired.

"Maybe," Castle replied. "This is a check from a Trimp minor subsidiary to a right wing political group, Guardians of Our Future."

"Trimp gives lots of political contributions. Why would that one be significant?" Kate puzzled.

"Because he's very savvy about it," Castle explained. "He gives money to people who can expand his influence, boost his business. He donates on both sides of the aisle. But this group is considered fringe even on the fringes. They're rabidly against all forms of contraception. They surround clinics and try to grab prescriptions out of women's hands. They would have objected to the crisis center that got monkey wrenched. They've even picketed a few drugstores for selling condoms. If anything, association with them would damage his business not promote it. This looks like something personal."

"I'll have Sylvie look into that," Kate decided. "That really is her area."

Castle rubbed his fists against his eyes and yawned. "Good."

Kate put a hand on his shoulder. "Babe, I think you've had it and I know I have. At least you found one needle in this haystack. We can start looking again tomorrow." She gazed over at Esposito and Lopez. "You two should go home too."

Esposito seemed more than willing to comply, pulling out Angela's chair for her. Castle looked after the couple as they headed for the elevator, leaning against each other. "I wonder whose home they're going to?"

Kate laughed. "I think people used to wonder that about us, Castle. But right now they may be too tired to care."

* * *

The morning came too soon for Kate, but she was surprised to find Castle already up and working at his laptop. "What are you looking at, Babe?"

"Trimp's association with Guardians of the Future kept nagging at me. So I decided to look into his background to see what would cause a man like him to have anything to do with an organization like that."

"Did you find anything?" Kate asked.

"Nothing confirmed, but there was some gossip about wife number one."

Kate stretched and pushed her hair back from her face. "How many has he had? I've lost track."

Castle reached for her hand and tucked a kiss into her palm. "I can't throw stones. I didn't find my charm until number three, but he's on number four. Though from what I've read, for Trimp, Lila, number one, was the true love of his life."

"So what happened?" Kate wondered.

"She died. That's where Guardians of the Future may come into it. The story goes that she had one of those old style IUDs, the ones that were eventually banned for medical reasons. It was reported that she developed an infection and eventually went into septic shock and died. Trimp went crazy with grief. I can understand that. I would if anything happened to you."

Kate brushed back a lock of hair that had fallen across his forehead. "Right there with you, Babe."

Castle reached up to caress her cheek. "Anyway after Lila passed, Trimp developed this obsession against birth control, any kind of birth control. That's probably why he has ten kids. It's also why he'd be a supporter of Guardians of the Future."

"And opposed to a crisis center," Kate realized. "They were slated, besides providing counseling, to hand out morning after pills and give support to the women, and unfortunately sometimes girls, who had to use their services."

Castle sighed and shook his head. "It's a weirder twist than anything I've put in a book, and more tragic. But it doesn't really get us closer to any solid evidence against Trimp."

Kate chewed on her lip. "What we need is something to prove that Frampton killed Ridley Mason. If we can get that, we can work it backwards to Trimp."

"What if you get Gritch McFeeley to flip on him?" Castle suggested.

Kate's eyes began to take on some sparkle as she pictured the scenario, "Castle, I think I know how I could make that work."

* * *

If such a thing was possible, Gritch McFeeley looked even thinner than he had on his previous visit to the Twelfth. As Kate glared at him, he wiped his palms against his pants. "Mr. McFeeley," Kate asserted as Castle sat beside her, "your alibi has fallen apart. We know Bart Frampton lied to us, and if he lied to us, it follows that you lied to us. The killer of Ridley Mason drove your car. You never reported it stolen or said that anyone borrowed it. You were the one driving it and you were the one who killed Ridley Mason."

"I never laid a hand on Ridley Mason," Gritch protested. "Why would I? I didn't even know him."

Kate stood up and leaned over the table, her face inches from Gritch's. "Then how do you explain your car? If you didn't kill Ridley Mason, who did?"

"Gritch swallowed hard, shrinking away from Kate. "I think I want a lawyer."

"Fine," Kate told him, "but if you call a lawyer, he's going to tell you to shut up. And if you do that, I won't be able to tell the D.A. you helped us out."

Gritch pushed up from his chair, his reed-like body swaying. "So if I tell you who actually killed Mason, I can make a deal?"

"I'll put in a good word with the D.A.," Kate assured him.

Gritch settled back in resignation. "Alright, this is what happened. Frampton told me that Trimp told him that Mason had turned on him and that it would cost Trimp and Frampton a fortune."

"Wait a minute," Castle interrupted, "you're saying that Frampton told you he talked directly to Trimp?"

Gritch's head bobbed vigorously on his pencil-thin neck."Not just talked to him. He showed me a note from Trimp, handwritten. It said, 'Take care of Mason,' with that huge 'T' that looks like a square. I thought we were just going to talk to Mason or something. I mean after all those years working construction, Bart can look pretty intimidating. But when we left the car, Bart grabbed a piece of pipe. He just hit Mason once, but it looked like Gallager smashing a watermelon. Frampton even got sprayed with blood. He told me he was going to have to burn his clothes. There was some blood on the passenger side of the car where Mason was sitting too. I tried to clean it up, but I couldn't get it all. There wasn't any on the driver's side where I was. You can check."

"I will do that, Mr. McFeeley," Kate promised. "Then I believe the D.A. and I will have a lot to talk about.


	28. Chapter 28

CBs

Chapter 28

Castle put down the file he was holding when he saw Kate's face in the doorway of the conference room. She tilted her head to motion him out and he followed her to her office. "How is Edelson's group of retired cops doing?" she asked.

"The Over The Hill Gang? Great! Not over the hill at all. They did have some heavy discussions on the best sources of reading glasses and one of them brought in some page sized Fresnel lenses to pass around. I have to admit, they made some of those print outs a lot easier to read. I might get one for the office. But those guys have managed to find the paperwork on the project that put in that pipe that flooded this place. Now they're tracing down everyone involved. They may find whomever had his hand out before nightfall. What have you got?"

"A couple of things. First, I heard from Sylvie. She said that Guardians of the Future had made a big stink about the crisis center. They had several demonstrations at the Responsibility Center and then met with one of the officials there, Maury Copswitch. Apparently Mr. Copswitch was the one who put the kibosh on the plans for the center. Copswitch might not have accepted a bribe, just been susceptible to their ideology; Sylvie doesn't know. But she's going to coordinate with Angela to find out if funds from The Fuerte reached Copswitch. If they did, then his motivation may have had nothing to do with religious fervor."

"You said a couple of things. What else?" Castle queried.

"CSU found Ridley Mason's blood in Gritch McFeeley's car, on the passenger side. They also found Frampton's prints. They were on file because a bonding agency required it. Gritch's prints are only on the driver's side, which supports his story. Anyway, that gave us cause for a warrant to Frampton's apartment. He did burn his clothes. There were ashes in the fireplace that CSU said came from fabric. But it seems he didn't have the heart to dispose of his fine Italian leather. They found a drop of Mason's blood on Frampton's shoes. Ryan and Esposito arrested Frampton and Marcus Weller's got the case. He considers it pretty much a slam dunk and he'll be cutting Gritch McFeeley some kind of a break, maybe knocking felony murder down to a lesser charge."

"And Weller will get to work with Lanie," Castle noted. "He won't hate that."

"No, I'm sure he won't," Kate agreed. "I've got a meeting with Gates at 1PP this afternoon, but I've got a couple of hours until then and I wouldn't hate it if my husband took me to lunch. We can both use a break."

That we can," Castle agreed. "So where would my wife like to go?"

"I was thinking of a picnic."

"Kate, far be it from me to rain - or snow - on your parade, but it's freezing out there. Perhaps you'd consider some cozy back booth at Girardi's?"

Kate reached under his jacket to cup the inviting roundness beneath his back pocket. "Oh I was thinking cozy." She picked up her tote bag. "Follow me."

Kate led the way to the Janitor's Closet and locked the door behind them. She pulled a blanket from her tote and spread it on the floor. Castle grinned. "You had this all planned, didn't you?"

"I put it together while you were putting the final flourishes on your chapter before we left this morning. We had leftover deli in the fridge, so I thought this would be a lot better than grabbing a table in the break room."

"And I applaud your thinking," Castle declared as Kate unpacked the rest of the contents of her bag. "Ooh, you got that avocado that was ripening on the counter. I knew it would be perfect today!"

Kate nodded. "Too perfect to waste on making guacamole. It'll go with the sandwiches. And..." Kate pulled out a paper bag.

"Milanos®!" Castle drew Kate in for a lusty kiss. "You are the perfect wife! Where were you hiding those? I thought I knew all the cookie safes in the loft."

"Well, I'm not going to give up the one you don't know about. It was passed to me in sacred trust by your daughter. But I will share the contents."

Castle kissed her again. "I'm all for sharing - food and anything else that might come up."

"Food first," Kate cautioned, "or I might bite."

Castle pulled a piece of pastrami from a sandwich and stuffed it in her mouth. "I don't know whether to take that as a threat or a promise."

If anyone at the Twelfth heard the shelves in the supply closet rattling, they kept it to themselves. And if anyone saw their captain emerge smiling and slightly flushed, they were too discreet to mention it. Castle walked Kate to the elevator as she headed out to 1PP, then returned to the conference room with new energy for scaling the mountains of paper.

* * *

The news reached Kate late that night. CSU had been analyzing a note found in Frampton's apartment. Several partial prints showed a similarity to those on file for Trimp, but they didn't have enough matching points to justify an arrest, especially given the ability of Trimp to hire any expert in the land to dispute CSU's findings. The handwriting on the note was also an apparent match for his signature, but since that signature had been trademarked, it would be conceivable that an able forger could copy it. With Frampton's testimony, they had a case against Trimp, but it was far from bulletproof, and to take down a man with Trimp's resources, it would have to be constructed of solid kevlar.

"So what do we do now?" Castle asked.

"We keep a lid on it," Kate replied. "The people in CSU know how to keep their mouths shut. So do our people. We just keep building until we can go at Trimp with a case no dream team can dismantle, because the minute we bring charges, his lawyers can ask for everything we've got in discovery. We just have to leave him alone until we're a hundred, no a thousand, percent sure we have him. The hardest thing about this is going to be preventing leaks from civilians. Everyone with even the slightest contact with this case will have to understand the stakes. That includes Alexis and Balazs."

* * *

Alexis groaned when she heard her father's ring tone. "I have to get this. He wouldn't call this late if it weren't important." Castle put the phone on speaker so Kate could chime in, and hurriedly explained the imperativeness of keeping anything about Trimp secret. Alexis rolled her eyes. "Dad, I understand about confidentiality and I've been keeping life or death secrets for you ever since I found out you were working with Mr. Smith to protect Kate. I won't say anything to anyone who isn't already involved in the case and doesn't know how to keep quiet."

"And speaking of involved in the case, I'll need to talk to Balazs too," Castle told her. "I think his cell is off. It keeps going to voice mail. Do you know where he is?"

Alexis and Balazs looked at each other and Balazs nodded. "Dad, I'm with him." Alexis handed her cell phone to the other occupant of the bed.

Kate reached out and silently took her husband's hand.


	29. Chapter 29

CBs

Chapter 29

"Babe, are you all right?" Kate asked as Castle laid down the phone.

Castle closed his eyes, holding Kate's hand between both of his, as a lifeline. "I'm trying to be. It's not as if I don't know my daughter isn't a virgin. She lived with Pi for months and she's had plenty of boyfriends. It's just that Balasz is a talented, brilliant, grown up man and this could be a serious relationship. I know Alexis is old enough. I'd written a best seller and was about to be a father when I was her age. She may be ready, but I'm not."

Kate pressed her head against Castle's shoulder. "I know you're not. You still want her to be the little girl in the tutu and plastic tiara. But she's a woman, Castle, whether you're ready or not. You're just going to have to call on some of Martha's acting genes and at least pretend to accept it or you'll be out both a daughter and a forensic accountant."

Castle brushed his face against her hair. "You sound like my mother."

"Well it may be unsolicited, but your mother has been known to give good advice. So I'll take that as a compliment. But it's late and we both still have a lot of work to do in the morning, so let's turn in, okay?"

Castle pulled her tightly against him, feeling her body lend the warmth of comfort to his. "Okay."

Alexis haunted Castle's dreams. He saw her first trip down the big slide, confident that he would catch her at the bottom. He did light saber battle with a tiny Princess Leia and crossed épées with his young apprentice while his mother pounded out silent movie music on the piano. He tossed beneath the covers as he saw Alexis in a cage in Paris and clinging to his hand as they ran the gauntlet of Volkov's men. Then he saw her waving goodbye and walking toward a faceless figure. He sat up, his face wet with tears. Someday, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, another man would be more important to Alexis than her father was. Just as Kate was the center of Rick's life, someone else would become that center for Alexis. For a moment he pictured Pi. At least his daughter's taste had improved - a lot.

* * *

Castle checked his email on his phone as he drank his double strength morning caffeine. He stared at the screen and enlarged the font. "I think it really might be time to get reading glasses."

"Is this about spending too much time with the Over the Hill Gang or are you feeling old because of Alexis?" Kate asked as she turned an omelet out of her Nona's frying pan.

"Actually, I don't think I've spent enough time with that gang. They really know how to get to the heart of a matter. But I am feeling old," Castle confessed, "maybe because of ending up in the hospital with pneumonia when all you did was catch a cold. Alexis is part of it too, and maybe it's because I'm having a harder time picturing myself as Derrick Storm. He was supposed to just be a bigger badder version of me. Now he's more like his graphic novel persona."

"You're still essentially Jameson Rook, especially when it comes to lighting a fire in Nikki Heat."

"Thanks," Castle smiled. "Good to know."

"So are you joining the other old men at the precinct this morning?" Kate teased.

Castle groaned. "She giveth and she taketh away. "Yes, we have a lot more questionable contracts to look into and not only will it help your case, my clients will be delighted. Anyway, the more I dig up, the less time my daughter may have to spend with Balazs. So I'll happily sit around with the other old farts."

"Really Castle? Guess I'll just have to tell Ryan to bring you all some of those bean burritos he loves so much."

Castle made a gagging noise. "You just spoiled a perfectly good breakfast."

* * *

Castle and Kate parted at the conference room where she continued on to her office. Despite the able assistance of Ray Edelson, her desk had a stack of paper all its own, mostly from 1PP. She sighed and began to work her way through.

A few hours later Castle knocked on the door frame. "I've got something. I was cross checking the projects lost by the clients Alexis snagged, with the records we have. On each of those projects there were expenditures just labeled as petty cash. But if you added them together, they were anything but petty. Then I checked social media for activities of the officials at the Capital Expenditures for any unusual activity while those projects were up for bid and just after they had been awarded. That was where I struck gold. There's a guy there, Rudy Gitano. After the first bid was awarded, his daughter had a massive sweet sixteen party. It was all over Facebook, Twitter, everywhere. Then after another one, his wife posted about a million pictures of a cruise they took. After another bid closed his wife bragged that their daughter was going to an ivy league school. As far as I can tell their were no inheritances or any other way a city official could pay for all that. But here's the topper. I called Sal Cardano. He told me that Rudy is well known for greasing wheels. Of course he didn't admit to anything about his own family, but he said the Spillanos had used Gitano to get some waste removal contracts. The man makes Bernie Madoff look clean. We need a warrant for Gitano's financials so we can match those petty cash expenditures to deposits in his accounts. And Kate, the gang found Gitano on the pipe project too. If we can tie him to Trimp, we'll have a dirt mountain you could build a ski resort on."

"So the Spillanos are involved in the case now too?" Kate asked.

Castle shook his head. "Not really, according to Sal, that family got out of the waste handling business a few years ago, at least officially. The costs got too high." Castle wiggled his brows. "They may still be doing some landfill business in the Jersey Meadows."

"We should have enough to get a warrant for Gitano's financials, Castle, but doing so will put a lot of our cards on the table. It will give Trimp a start on covering his tracks, figuring out other explanations for any money that might have passed to Gitano."

"I have to report this to my clients regardless of what the N.Y.P.D. decides to do," Castle said. "For them this is a smoking gun. Some of them have filed protests and suits before, but they never had enough evidence to get anywhere."

"Castle that's it!" Kate exclaimed. "Gitano is used to disgruntled contractors. If one of them files civil suit, they could ask for the records as discovery, based on research by Richard Castle Investigations. Or better still, put it under Hayley's name, since she consults for you. Gitano may just see it as a just another nuisance suit and not tip off Trimp. Then, as a private citizen, you decide evidence of a crime should be turned over to the N.Y.P.D.."

Castle closed the office door and pulled Kate in for a kiss. "Sneakiness truly worthy of the Castle name. I think I love you even more."


	30. Chapter 30

CBs

Chapter 30

Kate nipped Castle's ear as he bent over his laptop. Grinning, he pulled her into his lap. "I'm in no way, shape, or form objecting, but what was that for?"

"You look cute in glasses."

"I'm glad you think so. When I went to the optometrist I never thought I'd end up with a pair for the computer and another one for my books and phone. I keep grabbing the wrong ones."

"Maybe you should color code them." Kate suggested.

"Yeah, that's what Alexis suggested too. I ordered another couple of pair, red for passion for when I'm writing and blue for the essence of my coolness when I'm reading. Of course since we did finally get through all the files Trimp Corporate tried to bury us with, we're both waiting for discovery to come through on the Gitano suit. So I'm faithfully pursuing the profession that resulted in our partnership."

Kate twisted to see the screen. "You're writing another Nikki Heat. What's the crime?"

"Something intricately plotted with surprise twists."

Kate's eyes flashed mischievously. "You haven't figured it out yet, have you?"

"Not completely. Right now I'm concentrating on the complications of her engagement to Rook. We certainly had more than enough of them to draw from. I'm just wondering how many I should give them and what kind. So far, since Nikki is stuck at the twenty-third as captain, I have Rook running around all over the place on an investigation. They're doing a lot of Facetiming."

Kate sighed. "That sounds a lot like us when I was in D.C., except in reverse."

"Yeah, but I can't get Rook fired, he's freelance. So I'll need to work out something else to throw them back together, something that will steam up these new glasses."

Kate wrapped her arms around his neck, her face a breath from his. "Well if you're looking for ideas, we can always walk the scene."

"We could do that," Castle acknowledged, reaching under her skirt.

"Babe, you can let more than your fingers do the walking."

Kicking his chair away, Castle carried Kate the few feet to the bedroom and laid her on the bed. He started to remove his glasses. "Leave them on," Kate urged. "They'll be our steam test."

"Whatever opens the release valve," Castle agreed, finding an angle where his mouth could reach hers despite the new barrier.

An unexpected tilt of the head, an off center press of the lips, the difference didn't seem to be much, but Kate was on fire and Castle was more than happy to stoke the flames. She tore first at her own clothes, while his busy mouth found every inch of skin she uncovered. Then she tugged at his shirt, buttons flying across the room as she yanked it open. She thrust her hands beneath, needing the feel of his flesh against her fingers. "More," she whispered, tugging his belt from its loops. His zipper resisted her. "Rick," she pleaded in frustration.

He quickly aided her efforts. She rubbed against him, his excitation growing in size and heat. "Kate, this is happening too fast."

She groaned. "Not fast enough." She grasped him, guiding him to where her body screamed its need.

Breath caught in his throat and he struggled for control as her legs rose, drawing him deeper. "God, Kate!" His body convulsed and he started to pull back. She wrapped her legs around him, keeping him within. Intimate muscles, invisible to him, tightly sheathed and released, urging a second round. Kate's mouth found his, her tongue stabbing into the moist depths, seeking its partner. Her fingers plunged into his hair, brushing the bows of the glasses, still on his face. Flat against his chest, the pressure of every fine hair brushing her breasts sent sparks of sensation through her body. They began to move together, friction spreading from cell to cell until they were both ablaze from it. The fire flashed over, sucking the oxygen from their lungs and any remnant of thought from their minds. Entangled and entwined, they lay, capable only of gasping for air.

Castle drew a shaky breath. "I am going to buy a gross of those glasses, maybe even invest in the company. Want to be married to to a vision mogul?" When Kate didn't answer, he realized she had fallen deeply asleep. "Guess I can take these off now," he muttered, slipping off his spectacles and putting them safely on the nightstand. He stared at the now sightless lenses. "Don't go anywhere. I may need you when she wakes up."

* * *

Kate couldn't believe she'd slept for twelve hours. She couldn't remember doing that since Maddox's bullet had nicked her heart. Castle's side of the bed was empty and she could detect the aroma of coffee emanating from the kitchen. On her way to get a cup, she found Castle at his desk in a robe, with his glasses firmly on his face. His familiar mug was missing from the scene. "You made coffee but you're not drinking it?" Kate asked.

"I think I made it out of force of habit - and in case you wanted some. I'm fully rested and wide awake. I'd say I slept like a baby, but no baby ever did what we did last night, although I'm sure that sort of thing has caused more than a few."

"No doubt," Kate agreed, "but there won't be one from last night, although if I'd had to stop to do anything to prevent it, I'm not sure I could have. I'm really beginning to understand how oopses can happen. I'm glad I have an implant and I don't have to worry about it. I don't think I could have thought about anything last night."

Castle reached out to take her hand. "Me either. But Kate, if you did have to think about it... We haven't talked about kids for a long time, not since before you made captain." Castle touched his glasses. "Between these and Alexis, I'm feeling more aware of the passage of time, and if we're going to do it, we can't wait that much longer."

"Wow, Castle, that's a heavy question for first thing in the morning. And we've had so many other things going on. You may not need coffee, but I do, before we talk about that anymore. I'll be right back. I promise."

Kate returned, cradling a warm mug in both hands. "Castle, I know you love kids and they love you. And I don't know many fathers who've done as good a job raising a kid. I'm sure I don't know any others who'd team up with their spook assassin father to save their child from trained killers."

"But?" Castle prompted.

"But me. When we took care of a baby, except for the lack of sleep, I enjoyed it. I even started feeling maternal. But I'm just not sure how one would fit into our lives right now. I've just started building something at the Twelfth with the CB's and the Over the Hill Gang, but I have a long way to go before I figure out how everything is going to mesh, or whether I want to aim for something else. Your P.I. business is growing and you've still got your writing. I know Alexis is doing a great job of running the office and you've got Hayley to help out, but still, there aren't many spare minutes right now. Maybe it's selfish, but we've only been married for a year and the minutes we do have, I'd like to spend with you and not worry about anyone else."

"So is that a 'no,' or a 'let's wait a bit?'"

"Castle, it's a 'let's wait a bit.' How about if we have this discussion again after the Trimp matter is settled?"

Castle nodded slowly. "I guess that will have to be a deal."


	31. Chapter 31

CBs

Chapter 31

Looking over Balazs's shoulder as he examined the newly obtained Rudy Gitano financials, Alexis tried to focus on the figures on the page but was distracted by the blue highlights flashing off her lover's midnight hair. "Do you see anything?" she asked.

Balazs consulted the list of Trimp petty cash expenditures Castle had provided. "We have a series of deposits that add up to the first transaction on your father's list. It's suggestive but not definitive. Alexis, as much as I enjoy your company, this is going to take a while, possibly days and I know you have work of your own to handle. I'll let you know the minute the gun really starts smoking."

"Fine," Alexis agreed grudgingly. "I'll be at my desk." The phone rang in reception. Forgetting her annoyance, she strode quickly to pick it up. "Richard Castle Investigations."

"Alexis, turn on ZNN," Hayley's familiar accent commanded.

"Trimp's face filled the screen as he addressed the crowd at a press conference. "This city is falling apart. The infra-structure is crumbling. Projects that would have supported the health and well-being of our citizenry are falling by the wayside. Our police are short of crucial funding. Mayor Weldon has failed in his duty. So today I am announcing that I will be running for Mayor in the upcoming election. Under my leadership, this city will be great again!"

Alexis' mouth gaped. "That sonofabitch!" she yelled into her phone. "He caused the problems he's claiming he's going to fix."

"Alexis, we can stop him," Hayley asserted.

Balazs joined his fuming redhead, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Hey, when we finish with this, the only place he'll be running is the prison yard. We're going to get it done."

* * *

The CBs who were gathered around the conference table watched a replay of Trimp's press conference in disgust. "Can you believe that guy!" Esposito exclaimed.

"It is sort of like the story of the guy who kills his parents and then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he's an orphan," Castle observed.

"It doesn't matter," Kate declared. "We'll be taking him down long before there's an election. So where are we?"

"Frampton took the plea deal that Marcus Weller offered," Ryan reported. "His attorney stipulated to all the evidence in the case against him, but Weller held back the note from Trimp because it wasn't necessary to the case. It's still in evidence for when we need it. We have Frampton's testimony that Trimp verbally solicited Ridley Mason's murder as well."

"Sylvie, what about Copswitch and the crisis center?" Kate inquired.

"As far as anyone can tell, Trimps money flowed to Guardians of the Future, but they didn't convince Copswitch by bribing him. The guy's just a fanatic - or a nutbar. The upside is that there are plans to construct a center with private funding. The campaign is already underway, supported by a number of women's organizations and religious groups. It won't have to go through the Responsibility Center so Copswitch won't be able to block it. It doesn't help our case, but it will help a lot of victims of sexual assault."

"Just tell me where to send a check," Castle offered, prompting Kate to affectionately squeeze her husband's knee, under the table.

"Angela?" Kate queried.

"I got a tip as to who the gang money went to to block the community center. It was Judith Morrison, who was the assistant director of the Responsibility Center. The director, Vance Archer, was out for a few months while his wife was going through chemo and Morrison took the opportunity to gridlock the community center. It was during the same period of time that Copswitch blocked the crisis center."

"Do you know how Mrs. Archer is doing?" Castle asked.

"Uh hmm, Vance Archer is back at work because she's in remission. He helped to uncover what Morrison and Copswitch did. Morrison's been fired and Archer will be helping us bring charges. Copswitch is still there, but I understand that as much as possible Archer will have him staring out a window. He's looking at the executive director of one of the groups funding the crisis center as a possible replacement for Morrison," Angela added. "Of course none of that helps our case against Trimp, but it's good news for the city."

"So Castle, as a concerned private citizen, what do you have to bring to the attention of the N.Y.P.D.?" Kate asked, fighting against the upward tug on the corners of her mouth.

"As a private citizen, I have employed Balazs Kovacs, a forensic accountant, to examine the financial records of of one Rudy Gitano, an official in Capital Expenditures who awards contracts. The records were obtained by the discovery process in a civil suit by my client, Pertwee Enterprises, and requested by my collaborator Hayley Shipton. Balasz has found a number of dispersals of cash by Trimp to Gitano that coincide with the award of bids to Trimp subsidiaries. The subsequent work on those projects has since been found to be faulty, substandard, and/or dangerous. Ladies and gentlemen, we've got the bastard."

Whoops and applause burst from around the table. "Castle, you got something for us from the Old Haunt to celerbrate?" Esposito asked hopefully.

"Let's not stage a celebration just yet," Kate cautioned. "The D.A. will have to bring charges and Trimp is going to fight us all the way. And we need to keep this under wraps until we have the cuffs on him. He has the resources to get the hell out of Dodge and there are any number of non-extradition countries that would welcome him and the funds that would flow from his off shore bank accounts."

"Well as nauseating as it is to listen to him, at least as long as he's performing for the cameras we know where he is," Castle offered.

"That's right," Kate agreed. "Marcus Weller will be working the case with Toni Gonzales, but I believe this is big enough so the D.A. himself will be getting involved. They'll let me know when they have all their ducks in a row. In the meantime, I don't think I have to tell you not to discuss this with anyone outside the case."

"Now," Castle announced, "the drinks are soft, but we do have Diner Dogs and all the fixings. They're already set up in the break room, together with my world famous seven layer dip."

Castle held Kate back with a hand on her arm, as the CBs enthusiastically headed for the food. "Kate we've got Trimp nailed. Are you ready for our discussion now?"

Kate sighed. "Oh Babe, we still have a long way to go. He hasn't even been arrested yet. You know his attorneys will try for endless delays and then when he gets to trial we have to make sure they can't pull some rabbit out of hat. This could take months, maybe longer."

Castle's voice rose in anger. "You knew that when you made our deal. The longer they delay, the longer you can delay. Kate, just tell me what you want. Even if I don't like it, it's better than not knowing."

Kate stroked his cheek. "I'm sorry Babe, right now I still don't know myself."

Castle pushed her hand away. "Fine. I'm going to my office, Captain. Enjoy your lunch."


	32. Chapter 32

CBs

Chapter 32

The sound of blasters cut through the air of the loft as Kate let herself in the door. Castle's face creased with the hard set of his jaw as he pressed the firing button, cutting a swath in the attacking enemy troopers. "Babe," Kate called. Castle didn't acknowledge her presence. Kate turned off the monitor, interrupting the game. "Castle I know you're angry."

Castle threw down his controller. "Damn right I'm angry Kate, but I'm more frustrated. And it's not because you can't make up your mind about kids. I understand that's a hard decision, especially for you. It's about the walls, Kate. The walls were supposed to be about your mother's death. But they've been about more than that. The bricks have been ambition and the mortar obsession. When you had a chance at the job in D.C. you shut me out and lied to me. You tried to push me away because of the whole LokSat thing. And now it's the captaincy and whatever else you have your eyes on. You said you wanted to be with me. God knows I couldn't bear to be without you. And the sex is mind boggling. But there's more to a marriage than that. When you have a decision to make, when you have something difficult to face, that's when we should be closest. Instead your first reaction is to put more bricks in the wall. Castle pointed to the video controller. "I wish I could just push a button and blast through like I can do on that thing, but nothing I've said or done seems to have worked. So you tell me. What am I supposed to do?"

"Castle, you don't have to do anything. I don't know what I want to do. That's not an excuse, I really don't know. I thought I wanted the job in D.C., but it wasn't what I thought it would be. Being captain is the same. I thought I'd have something resembling reasonable hours and I'd be out of the line of fire. That would have given us a chance to build a family. But I hate being chained to a desk. I hate forms, I hate budgets and I can't stand having to kiss ass at 1PP. Now that I've worked out a way to spend more time actually solving crimes again, I'm back in the line of fire. If I were pregnant, the baby would be in the line of fire too. And according to N.Y.P.D. regs, pregnant cops are supposed to be on restricted duty. I'd be right back behind my desk in any case."

"You could take a leave of absence," Castle suggested. "Or if you'd go crazy doing that, you could find another way to make a difference. You're married to me. It's not like you need money. Even if I never wrote another book, I have enough investments to keep us. And my P.I. business is a going concern now too. You could be involved in that any way you wanted to. Or there must be a million organizations you could work with to change the world - without having someone shooting at you. You just have to make a choice, Kate. Whatever you decide, I will support you, but you're the only one who can make the decision."

Kate slid beside Castle, resting her head on his shoulder. "I know Babe, I know. I will will figure it out. I know it seems like forever, but can you you be patient with me until we put Trimp away? Then I'll have a better idea where I'm going next."

Castle drew her to him. "I can promise to try."

* * *

Sergei Chekov stood in the doorway of Kate's office. "Captain Beckett, I think I have a potential case for the CBs." Kate motioned him in. "This involves Morano too and possibly Lopez. The Russians have been moving in to fill the gambling void left by the Demachis. They've set up a number of floating games in lower Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens. We've gotten a line on them as fast as we can, but you know, it's playing whack-a-mole, another one always pops up. The real problem is that the players have started disappearing. Some of them have been reported missing. Morano's people have picked up those cases. With some of them it's just word on the street that they've faded out of sight. There are at least ten cases, maybe more. For the most part, other than not taking the trouble to make the drive to Atlantic City to do their gambling, they're not criminals, just card players. It makes no sense."

"It sounds intriguing," Kate agreed, "if a little disappointing that the weeds are re-sprouting so fast. I'll talk to Morano and Lopez and call a meeting as soon as I can."

* * *

Castle shifted restlessly in his chair. It was the first meeting of the CBs in a month. While the Trimp case stuttered its way through the court, Castle remembered the last one with less than fondness. Trimp had had been allowed bail, despite his ability to easily escape prosecution by leaving the country. The judge had, however, required the surrender of his passport and the attachment of an electronic anklet, limiting him to his home except for transit back and forth to court. It didn't keep him from talking to the press on a daily basis, or sometimes several times a day. It hadn't halted his mayoral campaign either. He stridently protested his innocence and accused Bob Wheldon of spearheading a conspiracy against him, with help from the N.Y.P.D.. Trimp had specified both Kate and Castle himself as soldiers in Weldon's war. Multiple talk radio hosts had thrown themselves behind Trimp and many denizens of the city believed them. A flood of hate mail had come to Richard Castle Investigations, the Twelfth Precinct, and 1PP.

D.A. Sam Waterman had taken the reins of the case with Marcus Weller and Toni Gonzalez sitting second and third chairs. The latter two were subjected to a barrage of racial epithets whenever they entered the court house. Neither was unfamiliar with that experience, but it was still chilling to watch. It didn't take much to strip away the veneer of civilization from the city's cosmopolitan population. Castle was disgusted with Trimp and with the city he considered his home.

Kate asked Sergei to begin. The veteran cop quickly outlined the situation with the games, which appeared to be undergoing daily growth. Kyle Morano picked up the narrative of the disappearances, pointing out that no connection, other than the games and the fact that they were all male, could be found between the victims. They were of differing races, ethnic backgrounds, marital statuses, and professions. They attended none of the same gyms. Other than to arrive at the games, they didn't even take the same subway trains.

Angela Lopez confirmed that the Russians were making a concerted effort to take over from the deposed Albanians. Their expansion included not only gambling, but protection. Carl Lubens added robbery to the list.

Kate asked for suggestions as to how they might proceed. "We have to place someone inside the games," Castle stated. "I volunteer. I've done it before."

Kate turned to him, blanching. "And you nearly got yourself killed, Castle. And we both have our pictures splashed across the news on a daily basis. They'd make you in a second. If anyone does it, it should be a cop."

"Kate, Captain Beckett," Castle argued, "remember I've dealt with the Russians before. They're paranoid about cops. You know that. You had to dress like a hooker and play Russian just to get me out of a game. How about someone who trained as a cop but is about as far from one now as you can get?"

"You mean Hayley?" Kate asked.

Castle nodded.


	33. Chapter 33

CBs

Chapter 33

"Captain," Esposito called as Kate was settling herself in her office, "I'd like to be in court today. I've been doing my best to act as big brother to to Mary Brodsky's two older boys, the twins. They're about to age out of the system and I want to make sure they have a place to live and jobs. The kids of a vet deserve a decent break. Marcus Weller is supposed to be presenting the details of the bribe to Ridley Mason. The boys want to hear how their mother died and they want their little sister to hear it too. And they want the jury to see them sitting there so they know just who Trimp screwed with his money."

Kate nodded her approval. "Sure Espo. You and Ryan don't have an active homicide right now and you were the detectives on Ridley Mason's murder. You should both be there. Castle and I will try to be there too."

"Is everything all right, Captain?" Esposito inquired. "I mean except for the CB meetings, Castle hasn't been around the precinct much. He isn't sick again or something is he?"

"Everything's fine Javi," Kate assured him quickly. "He has his own cases and he has been working on getting Hayley into one of the Russian games. They had to work out a cover for her."

"Yeah well that's good," Esposito responded. "I guess I'll see him later."

Kate sank into her chair hoping that things were as rosy as she'd portrayed them. On the surface, Castle was his usual self, cracking jokes and cooking up fanciful concoctions in the kitchen. But she sensed almost an air of desperation, even in the bedroom. He held on to her almost too tight and when his mouth found her skin, it was as if it was his last meal. He was also pouring himself into his P.I. business and his writing. She suspected he was trying to keep his mind occupied so he wouldn't dwell on the questions hanging between them. Of course her promise of a decision at the end of the Trimp trial left Castle at least as invested in the proceedings as Trimp must be himself. Unless something earthshaking came up, Castle would be in court.

* * *

The cameras flashed as Castle walked into the courthouse. He'd never minded having his picture taken. In fact, he'd usually enjoyed it. But now it was wearisome. Each new day brought some accusation of maliciousness from the Trimp camp. If Castle was as evil as Trimp painted him, he could be a Disney villain. Still, the old saw about there being no such thing as bad publicity seemed to be holding. As Richard Castle and Kate Beckett became household words, Castle's books, especially the Nikki Heats, were flying off the shelves. Black Pawn had ordered re-printings of a lot of his earlier works. He never thought he'd greet increased royalties with so little enthusiasm.

The publicity was also putting a crimp into his activities as a P.I.. He could sit as his computer all he wanted to, but undercover work and surveillance would be problematical or even impossible until the trial was over and the hoopla died down. Hayley, even as she readied herself to take on the Russians, was picking up the slack. Alexis was also spending time in the field. But Castle never realized how much he'd miss wearing down his shoes and drinking cold coffee. He was beginning to wish he could go to sleep and wake up when the trial was over and he could get his life back on track, but reality wasn't that kind.

Castle met Kate at the benches outside the courtroom door and they walked in together. Esposito was already sitting in the gallery with Tom, Tim, and Emily Brodsky. Kate walked ahead of Castle, taking a seat next to Emily. She and Castle were greeted by Esposito and introduced to the Brodsky children. As the bailiff called everyone to rise when the judge entered the courtroom, Kate could feel the girl trembling beside her.

The Honorable Judge Rifka Goldberg heard the usual barrage of motions from the heavily populated Trimp counsel table. They proposed excluding witnesses and quashing evidence. Goldberg did her best to maintain an even and impartial tone, but her annoyance was obvious and a welcome sign to Kate.

The defense's motions were summarily denied and the first witness called. Cal Norman had investigated the staircase collapse that killed Mary Brodsky. Under questioning by D.A. Sam Waterman, he was taken through his qualifications as a registered construction superintendent. Cal went through his experience as a professional engineer and well as the health and safety courses he had taken to receive his certification. Cal then explained his finding of substandard materials and insufficient bracing in the construction. Kate could feel anger radiating from Esposito. Tom and Tim sat stony-faced and Emily's cheeks were wet. Castle passed Kate his handkerchief to give to the girl, a move that did not go unnoticed by the jury.

The defense attempted to challenge Cal on the basis of the dates of his classes before applying for certification. Norman calmly informed Trimp's attorney that he'd had a refresher just before evaluating the collapsed staircase and the most current information and best analytical methods had been applied. He was confident and unshakable. Waterman, Weller, and Gonzales watched with satisfaction clearly visible on their faces.

Emily looked at Kate. "The jury will believe him, right, that the staircase killed my mama?"

Kate was a little nervous that the girl had turned to her rather than one of her brothers or Esposito, but she did her best to reassure her. The judge called for a recess and to Kate's discomfort, Emily reached for Kate's hand to exit the courtroom. Castle offered to spring for lunch for the group at a nearby burger joint and Emily again chose to sit with Kate. While they were waiting for their orders to arrive, Emily asked Kate to take her to the ladies room. Emily produced a tiny brush from her small purse and asked Kate if she'd help get the knots out of her hair, explaining that her brothers didn't know how and the foster lady had been too busy that morning. Kate hesitantly took the brush and did the best she could, remembering how her mother and her Nona had patiently worked through the tangles in Kate's hair before she'd learned to toughly attack them herself. It looked like Emily's tresses had grown more snarled for at least a couple of days. By the time Kate and Emily returned to the table, the food had arrived. Kate and Emily had both ordered strawberry shakes, although Emily was far from being able to finish hers. Otherwise, the kids made good progress through their lunches, especially the french fries, and returned to court with Emily clinging to Kate's hand.

Judge Goldberg skipped an afternoon recess in favor of an early adjournment so she could handle other matters. As the courtroom emptied, Emily kept hold of Kate's hand until she was ushered into Esposito's car with her brothers.

Emily certainly got attached to you," Castle commented after Esposito drove off.

"I think she needed a woman," Kate told him. "It doesn't look like she's had much attention from one since her mother died. I was the nearest one handy."

"Still, it looks like you rose to the task," Castle noted.

Kate's stomach twinged as she remembered the feel of the fine little girl hair against her fingers as she worked each matted strand loose. "Under the circumstances I guess I did okay."


	34. Chapter 34

CBs

Chapter 34

Staked by Richard Castle Investigations, Hayley Shipton sat at a poker table in Atlantic City. Her nature demanded she do her best to win, but her purpose was to observe every move of the professional dealer. Grateful for Castle's part in the uncovering of the murderer of his partner and the recovery of stolen funds, the owner of the Sapphire, Charlie Turner, was willing to vouch for Hayley as an experienced dealer. But she still had to learn to play the part. It required a calm and passivity that were the polar opposite of her high energy style. "Alexis or Castle might have been more suited for this," she thought wryly. But Alexis was too young to be convincing and right now Castle's face was too well known to pretend to be anyone but himself. So she would play a dealer, and a damn good one.

The best part of the night was that she was taking some major pots. Her experience in games with Castle's mystery writing colleagues and her own interrogation skills put her in good stead. Tells from the smallest twitch of a lip to a slight shift forward in a chair were easy for her to detect. She wouldn't need those perceptions as a dealer, but they were keeping RCI out of the red. Charlie Turner had comped her a nice room too, complete with spa privileges. Sometimes, especially when he kept his mouth shut, working with Richard Castle wasn't half bad.

* * *

It was another day in court as the testimony about the deadly bribe to Ridley Mason was winding up. Clark Murray, Castle's Doctor Death was testifying, while a paid expert forensic pathologist sat at the defense table putting together a list of questions to be asked on cross examination.

Emily again sat at Kate's side and had chosen to hold Kate's hand through most of the proceedings. Kate was amazed that she was beginning to feel comfortable with the girl's small fingers encased in the gentle curl of her own. She held tighter when on cross examination the Trimp attorney attempted to make Murray admit that Mary Brodsky's injuries could have been caused by a fall prior to the collapse of the staircase. Murray was too experienced a witness to compromise his testimony and at the completion of cross examination there was still nothing to convince the jury that Mary's death was anything other than the direct result of substandard construction. The Trimp attorneys conferred and requested a recess, which Judge Goldberg denied, instructing them at a sidebar that they couldn't request a recess simply because their case was going badly.

Sam Waterman called the next witness, Bart Frampton. Bart was led in wearing shackles, Emily gazed at the large man in the orange scrubs and turned her face into Kate's arm. In a whisper, Kate asked the girl if she'd like to leave for a while, but Emily resolutely shook her head and fixed Frampton with a glare. Wary of being accused of leading a witness, Waterman asked Frampton to give a narration of the circumstances leading to Ridley Mason's death, in his own words. Frampton told of being informed by Trimp that Mason was about to blow the whistle and Trimp's request that Ridley be taken out of the picture.

On cross examination, one of Trimp's more fiery attorneys, Lee Burkowitz, noted that Frampton had been given a plea in exchange for his testimony and insisted that Trimp had never solicited the murder at all. Frampton stood firm, and on redirect Waterman produced the note from Trimp and asked Frampton to verify its authenticity.

On recross, Burkowitz got Frampton to admit that the note didn't specify that he should murder Trimp, but Frampton stuck to his story that those were the orders he'd received from Trimp.

Emily looked up anxiously at Kate. "Do you think the jury believed the Scary Man?"

Kate studied the jury's faces. Some of them at least, were staring angrily at Trimp. "I'm not sure, but I think so," she answered as honestly as she could. It was enough reassurance for Emily.

The judge declared an adjournment and Emily was again led with her brothers to Esposito's car. She waved goodbye to Kate as she climbed in.

"You know Kate," Castle offered, "I think you're a lot better with kids than you give yourself credit for. Or at least you are with Emily. She really likes you and more than that, she trusts you."

"I lost my mother at a much later age than she did, but I understand how she feels," Kate confided. "Other than our wedding day, the day I saw Bracken convicted was the best day of my life. I waited a long time for that kind of closure. I don't want Emily to go through that. She and her brothers should have their answers now."

"Answers are always good," Castle agreed, holding Kate's gaze,"for all of us."

* * *

At the table in Castle's loft, Hayley prepared to deal the cards to Castle, Alexis, Kate, Martha, and Martha's friend Austin Winshot. Winshot had just finished filming a movie about underground gambling and was still steeped in the culture. He had a pad by his side for notes to give Hayley at the end of the evening. As was his custom for games, Castle had a fully stocked bar, but Hayley sipped club soda with lime, determined to turn in a perfect performance. Hayley washed the cards, spreading them randomly across the table. Then she collected them and squared them into a deck. She riffled them twice before boxing them together them riffled them again. Finally she cut a card and placed it on the table. Then she cut the deck onto the card to prevent the bottom card from being seen. She flipped the cards to the players, low and close to the table to avoid any chance of accidental revelations. Austin nodded approvingly.

As was usually the case in poker games at Casa Castle, Rick took most of the hands. Martha folded almost every time the cards were dealt but both Alexis and Kate were bolder, fighting Rick to the flip of the last card. At the end of the night, they both had respectable piles of chips in front of them as did Austin Winshot. Austin and Hayley retired to Castle's office to go over Austin's observations. Alexis and Martha left and Rick and Kate cleaned up the drink glasses and and snack fragments. "You didn't seem to be playing it as close to the vest as you usually do," Castle observed.

"I was just trying to give Hayley a good game," Kate responded.

Castle shook his head. "No, I think you're loosening up. I don't mean your tells are any clearer, I wish they were. But you seem more relaxed, somehow. Or maybe relaxed isn't the right word. I think open is a more accurate description. I'm just wondering if a certain little girl had anything to do with it."

Kate's mouth gaped. "You mean Emily?"

"Has there been another one?" Castle asked.

Kate laughed. "No. I think Emily is enough. But yeah I guess there is something about a child that takes you out of yourself a little bit. They need so much, they sort of take over your brain. I thought I'd hate that, but I don't. It feels - I don't know - snuggly."

"You think you'll still feel snuggly after the last of our guests have departed?" Castle asked, alternately wiggling his brows suggestively.

Kate ran the tip of her finger over his lips. "Babe, I'd put money on it."


	35. Chapter 35

A/N As a reminder to the reader, this story takes place in the same AU universe as A Hole for Two, so Vikram is not at the 12th and Rachel McCord and her team, including Richmond, are still very much alive.

CBs

Chapter 35

Hayley sat at a poker table waiting for the players to arrive. As a new dealer, she had been assigned a lower stakes post. The no limit tables were in a separate room. Her posting seemed fortunate, since none of the players who'd disappeared had the means to play at the no limit tables. If something was happening, she was more likely to see it where she was.

People began to file in and the hostesses rushed to obtain drink orders. The house kept the liquor flowing as an inducement for the patrons to keep the money flowing from their pockets. It had been Hayley's observation at the Sapphire that plying players with liquor only worked on amateurs. The professional card players refused to have their senses clouded and sipped drinks that were strictly virgin. She couldn't tell what was happening in the next room, but the one she could see appeared to be filled with amateurs. As their consumption grew, their stakes dwindled.

Hayley surveyed the bosses that roamed the floor. Unlike the pit bosses at the Sapphire, they seemed less concerned with preventing cheating. Their main task appeared to be keeping the players happy. They were very good at it. As one pile of chips dwindled, most players were more than happy to purchase another, convinced that a change in their luck was only a hand away.

Late in the evening, another boss, to whom Hayley had not been introduced, began to walk the floor. Rather than playing the ebullient host, he moved around the room, subtly but intensely studying the patrons at each table. Hayley's inner radar screamed an alert. She was sure that if someone in the room was involved in the disappearances, it was the new watcher. Using a camera concealed in a button on the blouse of her uniform, she captured his image.

* * *

The courtroom proceedings had moved to examining the many Trimp contracts unrelated to Mary Brodsky's death. Mary's children were back in school and Kate was at her office. She had submitted the picture Hayley sent, for facial recognition. When there had been no local hits, she'd forwarded it to Richmond in D.C., begging the favor of his help. Richmond had responded that he was working on a case that posed an immediate threat but would run the picture for her when he could. When he was finally able to get back to her, he replied that he had found a 70% match with a photo from an Interpol file on the Russian mob and sent Kate the file.

Kate examined the photo of Yuri Tomov from Richmond's file. There were definite differences between it and the one snapped by Hayley. The nose was wider and the cheekbones and chin were both less prominent. Those were things Kate had learned could be altered by surgery. The eyes in Hayley's photo seemed older, but the look was the same.

Kate examined what details there were on Tomov. As the activities of the Russian mob had morphed from robbery, protection, and murder to cyber-crime, fraud, and money laundering, Tomov was a throwback. Yearning for the glory of the former Soviet Union, he had stuck, with limited success, to older styles of doing business. Within expatriate Russian groups, he was a zealous supporter of Putin and his push to restore Soviet power. In the new criminal movement toward capturing profit through exploitation of technology, Tomov had been pushed aside or ignored.

The fall of the Demachis would have left the perfect void for Tomov's style of crime to fill. But none of that explained the disappearances. With no threats or ransom demands, there was no opportunity for profit. If Tomov had a motive, it was baffling. This was one of the moments when Kate most missed the presence of Castle lounging in a beat up chair beside her desk. He would have read and digested the file before she was a quarter of the way through it and presented some wild theory to get her going. But Castle was splitting his time between writing his newest Nikki Heat novel and an industrial espionage case at RCI, and of course keeping abreast of Hayley's undercover work at the poker games. If she called him, she knew he would come, but it wasn't fair, especially since the elephant of their plans for a family was still firmly camped in the room. Wild theories could wait, at least until whenever they could both make it back to the loft for dinner. Kate decided to make it it her turn to cook.

* * *

It had been several days since Castle had stocked the refrigerator and much as Kate hated shopping, she decided it would be a good idea. She checked her phone to make sure she could still get her Nona's meat sauce recipe out of the cloud and left the precinct as soon as her shift was over. Castle had introduced her to Yossi, the local Kosher butcher. Kate had been unaccustomed to butcher shops, especially to kosher ones. When she had shopped, her meat had come in little Styrofoam or cardboard trays tightly sealed in plastic. Castle wanted no part of that, insisting that meat should be freshly cut in front of your eyes. He wasn't concerned with rabbinical approval so much as the humane conditions in which the animals had to be raised and slaughtered in order to earn it. What it came down to for Kate was that whatever they bought from Yossi tasted wonderful, and that was what she wanted, especially that night.

Yossi greeted Kate enthusiastically and suggested a course grind for the meat which would mimic the grinding Kate's grandmother had done at home. Kate visited the local organic market for the rest of her ingredients and headed to the loft. As she'd expected, it was empty. She pulled on an apron her mother had worn to make Sunday brunches and got to work.

* * *

Castle's nose drew him from the elevator through the door of the loft. He found Kate stirring a pot at the stove and lightly pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. "What's the occasion? Did Crotchety Craig finally get his retirement papers?"

"I wish," Kate replied, thinking of the official at 1PP who questioned every comma of her reports. "No, I wanted to run something about the CB case by you and I thought I'd make a dinner and we could talk some things over."

Castle pulled out his phone. "Wait, I need to record this day. Kate Beckett actually wants to talk."

"Rick please, I know you've been waiting a long time, probably way too long, but give me a shot, okay?"

"Okay," Castle agreed, the lines between his eyes not quite disappearing. "You want me to open some wine?"

"Already done," Kate replied. "But you can set the table. The salad is in the fridge. I just need to drop the pasta."

Castle twirled strands of linguine against the side of a bowl. "You said you wanted to run something about the case by me - and talk. I'm listening, Kate."


	36. Chapter 36

CBs

Chapter 36

When Kate gave Castle the rundown on Yuri Tomov, Castle suggested showing the pictures to the premier plastic surgeon to Martha's group of theatrical friends. "'Doctor Pull It Tight' should be able to tell you if the differences in appearance really are due to surgery and maybe when and where the surgery might have been done," Castle speculated. "I can have Mother set up an interview. He's always after her, trying to get her under his knife."

"You, know I'm kind of surprised she hasn't done it," Kate mused. "She used to complain all the time that she missed being the beautiful ingenue."

"'Used to,' being the operative words," Castle pointed out. "Mother is in her second act and glorying in the diva she is. We should all feel that good about getting older."

"Castle, I know you've been obsessing about getting older, about both of us getting older, really. That's what I wanted to talk about, or part of it, anyway. Look, even if I had the safest job in the world, I'm already past the age where the risk is lowest for having something wrong with the baby."

"Kate," Castle argued. "Lots of women have healthy babies in their late thirties and even way beyond that."

Kate took his hand. "Castle I know, but that, my job, it's not all of it. Before we broke up, Josh talked to me about the nick the bullet put in my heart. It's patched, but it's not perfect. He warned me that a pregnancy would be high risk. He was okay with that if we stayed together, because he was always too busy running around the world to be a father anyway, but he wanted to make sure I knew."

Castle stared at her. "Kate, why didn't you just tell me this a long time ago? It's not even a question, if getting pregnant puts you at that kind of a risk, you shouldn't get pregnant. I can live without having more children. I can't live without you."

Kate chewed on her lip. "You've always gotten off on what a badass I am. I guess I didn't want to look weak in your eyes. And I know how much you love kids. But Castle, getting pregnant isn't the only way to have them."

"Are you talking about a surrogate?" Castle asked.

Kate shook her head. "No, I was thinking about adopting - not a baby - an older child."

Realization flowed over Castle's face. "You mean Emily Brodsky."

"I do. Her brothers will be gone from the foster home any day. Espo will be looking out for them but there's no one to look out for her and it's pretty obvious that her foster mom is just in it for the money. She'd be in school six hours a day and between you and me and the family, she wouldn't need that many hours with a sitter."

"And you really want to do it?" Castle questioned. "Kate if you're just offering this as something to make me feel better, forget it. Emily's been through a lot and if she becomes part of our family you'd have to commit to her heart and soul. You can't hold back from a child. They'll always know. It's got to be a hundred percent or nothing."

Kate reached up to cup his cheek. "It will be, Castle, I promise."

Castle shoved his pasta aside and plunged his fingers into Kate's hair, pulling her lips against his. She pulled back for a moment. "Castle, garlic."

"Then it's a good thing we've both been eating it," he murmured. "But exceptional as it is, there are things I'd rather have in my mouth than your linguine."

They rose as one, hands linked, and Castle led the way to the bedroom. He gazed at his wife. "You know, if it's possible, you're even more beautiful with meat sauce on your face."

Kate touched her chin. "Where?"

"Don't worry, I'll get it," Castle whispered, bringing her mouth to his.

As he drew her close, the heat of his body penetrated their clothes, washing over her skin. Need welled from within her, demanding more, much more. She could feel him, hard against her belly. Her hips moved of their own accord, her desire mounting. "Kate," Castle rasped, pulling them both down to the bed.

Kate was in wild motion beneath him, arching as their tongues sparred within mouths locked together. Desperate, she plunged a hand beneath her own waistband. He pulled it free to replace it with his own, as the center of her need grew beneath his questing fingers. She was wet, ready, past ready. He pulled her pants away even as she jerked at his. Their dance was almost violent; bedding mangled beneath them; springs and floor both moaning in protest. They grappled, hands and mouths seeking everything beneath what remained of their clothing. The release hit in a jarring quake. They clung as aftershocks shook them, again and again, until the world was still beneath bodies limp but still joined.

Kate woke to find Castle's side of the bed empty. She thought she could faintly hear the sound of running water and she could definitely detect the enticing aroma of fresh coffee. Pulling on Castle's shirt, which still lay on the floor, she made her way barefoot to the kitchen. Castle was scrubbing the pot she'd used to make the sauce the night before.

Castle turned from the sink, his grin lighting the room. "It's a good thing Alexis wasn't here to see the dishes left out overnight, she would be on me about it for days. And I figured you cooked so I'd clean up, even if my efforts were belated. Yeah, and I called my lawyer too. Insane workaholic that he is, he likes to get into the office ridiculously early and I wanted to put him on Emily's adoption before he got started on anything else. It's not his usual thing, but he has an associate with a lot of experience in that area who can help speed the paperwork through as much as possible. He did say that even with that, it would take a while, but if we clear it with her social worker, there's nothing to keep Emily from spending some time with us and getting to know us while the process is underway. We can do the zoos, museums, all the tourist traps, maybe even miniature golf."

"Wow, Castle, you're really excited about this, aren't you?"

"Of course," Castle replied. "When I said a hundred percent I wasn't just talking about you Kate, even if that's where Emily has her attachment right now. I was talking about both of us. I organized my life around Alexis and that was probably harder because I didn't have a partner. But Emily will have both of us. I can't think of much that would be better - except perhaps last night. But listen, Mother will be sleeping in. She had a performance last night. But I can call her later in the morning and set something up with the wielder of the wondrous scalpel. Then we'll know for sure whether we're after Yuri Tomov or not."

"Mm," Kate agreed, "then we'll see where we'll take it from there. God, I'm starved! I need breakfast. In the mood to join me?"

Castle tucked a bed-tousled lock behind her ear. "Always."


	37. Chapter 37

CBs

Chapter 37

Dr. Aaron Spinrad carefully examined the photos Kate had laid on the well polished desk in front of him. "I have no doubt these are the same person. The cheekbones, the chin, those are easily done with implants. The nose has been narrowed, but the method was not up to date. I could have achieved a more attractive result. With modern techniques, the change would be more subtle and fit the contours of the face better. I would say that the nose was done at least a couple of years back, if not more, and possibly not in this country. The implants were well done and most likely fairly recent. At least two different surgeons worked on this man.

"Thank you, Doctor," Kate said. "That's very helpful."

"Well, if either of you ever wants a little freshening up, you know where to come. I could give you a great deal on the puffiness under your eyes, Mr. Castle. You'd photograph better. You could use a more up to date picture on your book jackets. The one on there now must be at least ten years old."

Kate grabbed Castle's arm as he stiffened in resentment. "Eight!"

"Just think about it," Spinrad soothed, "And give Martha my regards. My door is open any time."

"Why do I keep getting offered plastic surgery?" Castle complained on the way to the subway. "Even that maniac Nieman thought my eyes needed fixing."

"Castle, Spinrad offered it to both of us. So did Nieman. Unless they've been in an accident or something, most people don't need plastic surgery. It's something that's sold to make people feel good about themselves, to give them more self-confidence. You don't need that. You have so much going for you. And your face doesn't sell your books, your writing does." Kate ran a finger along his jawline. "I've never heard any of your fans complain about your face and I love every ruggedly handsome inch of it. Your mother is a wise woman. Don't let Spinrad get to you."

"You're right," Castle conceded, "Spinrad is nothing to write home about either. Did you notice he has hair growing out of his ears? Hm, I need to do that with one of the more obnoxious characters in one of my books. Maybe I could have it happen to one of the officials at 1PP."

Kate laughed. "Just as long as you don't do it to a character based on Gates. She actually reads your books and I don't think she'd appreciate it at all."

"Roger that," Castle acknowledged.

* * *

The CBs convened at the 12th in the late afternoon. Kate passed around current photos of Yuri Tomov, together with copies of his file. "This is our suspect in the disappearance from the games. I'm proposing that we keep Hayley Shipton undercover as a dealer long enough to keep track of where the games will be, so we can set up surveillance. We can pull her out after that. A civilian shouldn't be in jeopardy any longer than is necessary. Now, I'm requesting that all of you use whatever contacts you have to gather as much intelligence as possible on this guy. Interpol had nothing about his recent activities. Any thoughts?"

"Since he's chosen not to pursue cyber-crime, there may be some uncomplimentary web chatter about him in the more modern branch of the Russian mob," Bill Garrett speculated. "I'll see what I can pick up."

"I'll see if the other gangs have any word about him," Angela Lopez added.

"My people are going to keep working on his games," Chekov put in.

"And mine are still working on their missing person cases," Morano offered.

"Hayley has a game tonight," Castle reported. "They're moving again and she won't know where until about an hour before, but she should be able to let us know in time for Captain Beckett to put surveillance in position."

"Good," Kate concluded, "let's stay on top of it. I'm sure all of you are following the court proceedings in the Trimp matter. Lee Burkowitz has certainly not been shy about giving press conferences. Marcus Weller informs me that Sam Waterman has a lot of confidence that the jury is seeing things our way. From the defense's witness list, Weller expects things to wind up in another month or so, maybe a little longer. Even if they can cast doubt on some of the charges, there's still enough to put Trimp away for more than a lifetime and close down many of his corporate operations."

"I'd like to close him down, for good," Esposito exclaimed. "But one good thing is both of Mary Brodsky's twins got Regents scholarships, so with other financial aid they should be able to manage Hudson University. They'll have a good start and still be near their sister."

Castle looked at Beckett, but she shook her head, warning him off saying anything further about Emily. Castle pressed his lips together.

"Okay, that's all, "Kate announced. "As always, keep in touch with each other and if you get anything, let me know."

Castle followed Kate into her office and closed the door. "Why didn't you want to say anything about Emily?"

"I don't want to jinx it, Castle. We just talked about it. We haven't even seen any paperwork yet. But we could see about taking Emily out this weekend," she suggested. "That would be a start."

"Let's do it," Castle agreed.

* * *

"She had to want to go up to the crown," Castle moaned, after making the special reservation for the top of the Statue of Liberty. "I haven't climbed those stairs since Alexis was in seventh grade."

"Buck up, Castle, it's no worse than some of the hikes we've been on, and if you can't make it all the way up, I'll take Emily by myself."

"Oh I can make it," Rick declared, "a Castle is not defeated by a woman who insists on turning green, no matter how tall she is."

"Good," Kate replied, "cause Emily is really excited. She wanted to go a couple of years ago with her mom, but she couldn't make the height requirement. Last time she was measured at school, she just made it. I think she feels if she gets up that high, she'll be closer to her mother in Heaven."

"Oh, I hope she still feels that way when she gets up there," Castle mused. "It is a comforting thought. Our crown reservations are for after the first ferry of the day docks and we'll have to shove everything except a camera in a locker. So we should pick Emily up early to get to Battery Park for the boat. Then after we take her to the top, we can take her down to the museum and get any souvenirs that she wants. The food there is not much. We can take the ferry back to Manhattan and take her someplace kid friendly to eat, maybe a Chuck E. Cheese so she can play the games."

Kate smiled skeptically. "Exactly who really wants to play the games, Castle?"

"Hey, last time I checked I still hold the all time record for the jet fighter. I'm a regular ticket generator at skee-ball too. I could win her one of the big toys. But we can go wherever she wants. I noticed she's picked up your yen for strawberry shakes and extra crispy fries. I can think of several places for great shakes. There aren't too many fun restaurants in New York that I don't know about."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Castle, of that I have no doubt."


	38. Chapter 38

CBs

Chapter 38

Emily gazed at the water in the harbor, then up at the sky. It was beautiful. She had hoped to see some sign of her mother, maybe just a face in a cloud, but there was nothing. Still, if she closed her eyes she could imagine her mother was there - almost. She reached back for Kate's hand and found Rick's instead. It was warm and gentle and almost as comforting as Kate's. She looked upward one last time before announcing she was ready to go. Somehow climbing down the stairs was a little scarier than climbing up, but Rick and Kate were there and she made it all the way down to the museum on the second floor of the statue's pedestal. Kate explained the exhibits and read to her from the documents in the glass cases. Then Rick took her picture as she sat on the huge copy of the statue's foot.

Rick seemed more excited than Emily was about the Museum Store and happily bought her a T shirt, a book, and a teddy bear dressed as Lady Liberty. Kate tucked the T shirt and the book into her tote, but Emily hugged the bear through the ferry trip back to Manhattan.

Rick brought up a list of restaurants on his phone, with pictures and descriptions of the offerings, and told Emily she could pick whatever she liked. Emily loved the idea of designing her own dessert and chose a barbecue place not far away where she could do it. The air in Blue Smoke was rich and heavy with spice. After they were seated, Emily received her own giant cookie to decorate and was told that it would be baked while they ate. She chose baby back ribs for her main course because they were just her size to eat, but too messy for her foster mother to serve. Kate read a few pages of Emily's book to her while they waited to be served. When their food arrived, Kate tucked one of the large napkins provided around Emily, and Rick covered her bear with another one - just in case it wanted to sample the cuisine. There were no shakes, but Emily was happy with a soda and Kate and Rick enjoyed sipping excellent coffee. When the waitress delivered Emily's finished cookie, she shared some of it with the Castles, but she was still too full of ribs to finish the rest, so it was carefully packed up by Rick and stowed in Kate's tote with the protective padding of Emily's new T shirt.

After lunch Castle suggested a walk to nearby Rockefeller Park. Spying the swings, Emily proudly announced that she was a great pumper and could get even higher than her brothers. Emily let Kate hold her bear and Kate and Castle sat in swings side by side next to the girl. Rick reached for Kate's hand as they watched Emily's joyful ascent. When Emily was finally tired of soaring, Castle proposed a stroll to the koi pond to look at the fish.

While they watched the finny creatures, the temperature dropped as a cold front moved into the city. Emily began to shiver. She was swallowed up in the jacket Castle wrapped around her, so before taking her back to her foster mother, he suggested a trip to a kid's clothing store that had been one of Alexis' favorites. Emily was astonished but pleased when Rick told her she could choose any jacket she wanted and she found one with fanciful fish she said reminded her of the pond.

Emily didn't want to let go of Kate's hand when Rick and Kate returned her to her foster home, but Kate assured her that she'd see her again soon. She gave Emily her card and promised it would be fine if the girl called her any time. Clinging to her new bear, Emily reluctantly said goodbye.

"So," Castle asked as he and Kate drove back to the loft. "how did you enjoy your first official pre-parental outing?"

"Castle, I'm not sure," Kate admitted. "When someone looks at you like that, depends on you like that, it's kind of overwhelming."

Castle's face darkened. "Second thoughts? We've only just started the process, Kate, and we haven't made any promises to Emily about the future. If you change your mind at this stage, at least she won't be disappointed."

"But you will be, Babe," Kate replied.

Castle pulled the car to the side of the street. He turned in his seat so he could look straight at his wife. "Kate, it may not seem that way a lot of the time, but I am an adult. I've been disappointed before, especially if you count my first two marriages. I can handle it. I know you said you're sure about Emily, but you're really just getting to know her. So I'm going to ask you again, before you break that little girl's heart, are you sure about this? For once, give me the Kate Beckett who doesn't just go along to prevent confrontation. Give me the Kate Beckett who isn't afraid of looking bad. I need the truth, even if I'm not going to like it."

Kate sat silently for a moment. "Castle, it may be overwhelming, but it's not nearly as overwhelming as being constantly in the a killer's cross hairs or getting shot was. I'm just learning how to deal with new feelings. I'll be fine."

"Kate, if you're going to decide otherwise," Castle warned, "do it soon."

Kate wordlessly nodded.

* * *

Hayley presided over her table for what she hoped was her last night as a dealer. A client had approached RCI about recovering a stolen painting, and that was much more the kind of case she loved. She also knew that her payment for this one was coming straight out of Castle's pocket for the CBs. There was no reason to feel guilty about that. He could afford it and if he used it for a book, he could write it off as research. Still she felt more comfortable if their working relationship was strictly through RCI. It tended to eliminate complications, especially in terms of police procedures. In terms of evidence, she could gather it for RCI pretty much any way she chose, as long as she didn't bend the rules too much - or at least not in a way that would draw too much of Kate's ire. If her methods were questionable on a police case, an attorney could get evidence tossed and put some bounder back on the street.

She spotted Yuri Tomov's familiar frame making his circuit of the tables. She didn't dare have a transmitter that would put out a continuous signal, but touching the bow tie that was part of her uniform, she sent a split second, virtually undetectable burst, to Kate's team, letting them know their quarry was present. The team would be unable to respond back to her. Hayley would have no way of knowing she had been successful until the evening ended. She still had hours to go. She avoided looking at Yuri unless he was directly in her field of vision, but when he was close, she noticed that he was eyeing a player at her table. Before the end of the night, the player ran out of chips and apparently out of funds to purchase more. Muttering under his breath, he left the games. A moment later Yuri followed. Hayley could only hope that Kate's people were on him.


	39. Chapter 39

CBs

Chapter 39

Detectives Jackson and Moore watched as Yuri Tomov exited the nondescript industrial building that housed the poker games. Yuri's black Mercedes pulled out right behind a silver Optima. "He's following that guy," Jackson observed. "Get on his tail."

Moore drove the unmarked unit smoothly out onto the largely deserted street in Washington Heights. With little traffic as cover, he had to keep his distance. Jackson pulled out his phone to call Kate Beckett.

Sleepily answering her cell, Kate came to full awareness at Jackson's report. With a questioning look, Castle pulled himself up beside her. "Hayley sent a signal to the two detectives I had on surveillance," Kate relayed. "Tomov is following someone and they're following him."

Castle reached for his own phone. "I should call Hayley."

"You can't Babe," Kate reminded him. "She's still in place undercover. I'm sure she'll be in touch as soon as she can."

Tomov's quarry headed South, toward Harlem. He parked in a neighborhood that had been rescued from its slum history by re-gentrification and walked toward a small brownstone. Tomov parked as well and waited. Jackson and Moore found a place down the block and also waited, while Jackson updated Kate.

"Babe, you feel like a ride to Harlem?" Kate asked. "Tomov is stalking someone there, and detectives Jackson and Moore are staking out Tomov."

Castle pushed back the hair failing over his forehead. "Jack Moore, hmm, good name for a character. You go ahead and join them. Hayley should be finishing up soon, I think I'll meet her and make sure she's all right."

"Okay Castle," Kate agreed. "but stay close."

"Always," Castle assured her.

As Kate neared Harlem, Jackson reported that Tomov hadn't moved. Kate found a place to park a couple of blocks away and tried to get comfortable."

* * *

At the end of the gaming session, Hayley's floor boss Viktor, in a small change in procedure, handed her a container for her vest and tie and watched while she removed them. Hayley wondered if she should try to palm the tiny transmitter in her tie or leave it in place and hope that it would go unnoticed. She decided on the first course, but wasn't quite quick enough. Viktor grabbed it away. "What the f**k is this?"

Viktor reached for Hayley but she twisted away and ran, only to be stopped by two of Viktor's men as she tried to leave the building. Viktor joined them, pointing a gun at Hayley's head. "We'll have to see what Yuri wants to do with you. You and I are going to take a little ride." Viktor forced her out of the building.

Castle consulted his watch for the tenth time before looking back through his binoculars. Most of the cars had departed from the lot around the building. The door opened. For a moment Castle was relieved to see Hayley, then he spotted the gun pointed at her. He had no time to call for help. He pulled his car in front of Hayley and Viktor. He got out, and stumbling as if drunk, flashed the contents of his money clip. Am I too late? I really feel lucky tonight."

The distraction was enough for Hayley to knock the gun away. She kicked Viktor well below the belt and again in the head. Castle grabbed the gun from the pavement. They both hurried into Castle's car and he hit the accelerator hard. "You all right?" Castle asked.

"Right as rain," Hayley answered. "Thanks."

"I don't think I could say the same for the gun wielding thug you left curled up on the asphalt," Castle quipped. "Remind me to never get you mad at me." He thumbed a button on the steering wheel. "Call Kate."

"Babe, something wrong?" Kate answered anxiously.

"Nothing Hayley and I couldn't handle, but there is a guy in the parking lot at the game location. You might want to send some unis to pick him up. And in saying pick up I'm being literal. Never put yourself in the way of Hayley's feet. How are things in Harlem?"

Kate stared up the street. "Quiet for now. Tomov still isn't moving. Are you two coming down here?"

Castle threw a questioning glance sideways at Hayley. "You bet your arse!" Hayley responded.

As daylight approached, Kate dismissed Jackson and Moore and called in Ryan and Esposito.

Finally the player Tomov had been watching emerged from the brownstone. "Heads up guys," Kate ordered through a walkie talkie just as the door of Tomov's car opened. Keeping to the shadows, Tomov followed the man to his car. Kate could see Tomov draw a gun from beneath his waist band. "Move in, move in!" she shouted.

Kate rushed from her car, as did Ryan and Esposito. Tomov had put a gun to the head of the man he was following. "Drop it, scumbag!" Esposito yelled, with Tomov in his sights, "or I'll drop you."

Kate and Ryan joined the circle of guns trained on Tomov. "He'll die," Tomov warned, jamming his gun into his victim's temple.

"Then you'll be dead too," Kate responded calmly. "Put the gun down and get on the ground, now."

Tomov looked at three gun barrels and three sets of determined eyes trained on him. He knelt down, lay his gun on the ground and put his hands behind his head."

* * *

Hayley came out of the break room at the 12th freshly invigorated by a shower, nap, change of clothes, and one of Castle's best espressos. "Are you questioning Viktor now?" she asked Kate.

"He's lawyered up," Kate answered. "His lawyer claims that Viktor has a concussion and doesn't know what happened."

"His fingerprints on the gun that Castle recovered should fill in the gaps," Hayley responded, "but he's just a tosser anyway. How about the would be kidnap victim from last night?"

"His name is Brian Boswell and he claims he never met Tomov before last night. He concedes he was playing poker but insists he has no idea why Tomov wanted to grab him. I'm inclined to believe him," Kate replied. "We really had no reason to hold him except an illegal gambling charge and no one really cares about that. So I sent him home and there's a unit sitting outside his brownstone to make sure no one bothers him."

Castle joined them, carrying two steaming mugs. He handed one to Kate. "What about Tomov?"

"He asked for his lawyer and we had to wait for him to show up. We're putting him in the box now." A teasing smile curved Kate's lips "Would you like to watch?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Castle declared.

While Castle and Hayley observed through the mirror, Kate sat opposite a defiant Yuri Tomov and his attorney, Nicolai Vostrov. "Mr. Tomov, three cops and two civilians saw you try to kidnap Brian Boswell at the point of a gun. That is more than enough to put you away for five to twenty-five. We could even throw in that the gun was unlicensed. The only way you can make this better for yourself is to cooperate. If you do that, I could put the D.A. In a good mood."

Vostrov put a hand on Tomov's arm and shook his head. "My client is asserting his fifth amendment right to refuse to answer. Go ahead and try to bring whatever charges you think you have."

Kate leaned over the table, staring into the lawyer's eyes. "Believe me, Mr. Vostrov, we will." She turned to L.T. who was standing near the door. "Take him back to holding until we ship him to Central Booking."

Kate joined Castle and Haley in observation as L.T. led Tomov away. Castle shook his head. "Something's not right. You have Tomov dead to rights but he and Vostrov are confident, cocky."

"The cell phone in Kates pocket buzzed. She pulled it out and listened for a moment. "You called it, Castle. Something is definitely not right."


	40. Chapter 40

CBs

Chapter 40

"Bollocks!" Hayley exclaimed.

Castle pointed at Kate's phone. "Who was that?"

Kate sighed. "It was Gates. A message came down from the higher ups, she couldn't say from whom, but we have to let Tomov go. He's protected. The D.A. is going to refuse to charge him. Gates wasn't sure, but she thinks he's some kind of informant, maybe FBI or CIA. She's furious. She said she protested, but there's nothing she can do. Whoever is pushing the buttons has some real juice."

"There must be something you can do, Kate" Castle insisted.

"Damn straight there is," Kate declared. "We may have to put him back on the street, but he won't be alone. Every minute he's out there, everywhere he goes, there will be people on him. If he did kidnap the others who disappeared, he'll lead us right to them. I'm going to borrow some of the people Morano and Lopez work with, maybe even some of Lubens' guys. That way we'll run less of a risk of having Tomov recognize anyone or see the same people twice. We'll get those people back, Castle, and we'll get Tomov too."

"And I need to get back to sorting out that stolen painting," Hayley interjected. "At least that's something the bureaucracy can't cock up. And the finders fee will be considerable too."

Castle nodded. "Go ahead, Hayley. I need to talk to Kate about something."

The Castles went into Kate's office and Castle closed the door. "Tomorrow is a short school day for Emily, staff in-service. We're supposed to take her out in the afternoon. Are you still up for that?"

"Unless something breaks on the case. Did you have something special in mind?" Kate queried.

"Maybe more like something ordinary," Castle responded. "We'll only have a couple of hours before we'll have to get her back. It will be a school night. So I was thinking we'd take her to the playground near the loft, where I always used to take Alexis. We can go for pizza and maybe ice cream afterward. It would be a little preview for you of everyday parent stuff."

Kate did her best to ignore the butterflies that materialized in her stomach. "That sounds good Castle. It would only take me a few minutes to get to the playground from the precinct. If you pick her up, I can meet both of you there."

* * *

Emily was wearing her fish jacket and again displaying her prowess on the swings when Kate arrived and surveyed group of children enjoying an afternoon of freedom. The other swings were all full so the Castles occupied a bench together, where they could watch Emily's joyful flight. "Anything new on Tomov?" Castle asked.

"No, he's been at his apartment, a pretty nice one by the way, on the West Side. Vostrov came to visit him, but that's all the activity we've seen. It's been less than a day since he's been released," Kate offered. "He'll move and so will we."

Emily began to slow down. "Looks like the champion pumper is pooping out," Castle observed.

When Emily was low enough, she dragged her feet against the ground to slow herself down and dismounted. She approached Kate. "Can you push me on the merry-go-round?" Kate nodded and got up, standing at the edge of of the play equipment while Emily climbed on. When the girl had a firm grip, Kate grabbed a handle and began to push. Emily squealed happily as the landscape whirled by.

Kate jumped on to join her. "Castle, get over here and keep us going!" she shouted at Rick.

Castle ran over, pushing the handles in turn as they came by. Kate's hair flew and she joined Emily with joyful whoops. As dizziness began to set in, Emily asked Castle to stop, and slightly wobbly, went in search of another activity.

Emily was making her way to the slide when Kate noticed a hefty teenager barreling down it at full speed. Hurling herself forward, she grabbed Emily out of the way before she could be hit by huge onrushing feet. Kate's heart was beating a mile a minute and she couldn't get her breath. "Are you too all right?" Castle asked.

Emily nodded vigorously. "Captain Beckett saved me. She's a hero."

"Yeah," Kate managed to get out. "They shouldn't allow kids that big on the slide."

Castle pointed to a prominently posted sign. "They don't. But who's ever accused teenagers of following rules? Kate you did what parents do, what parents are here for, protecting their children."

"You were right behind me," Kate realized. "You would have grabbed her if I hadn't."

"But you did," Castle pointed out. "You didn't have to think about it. You didn't have to ponder the pro's and cons. You acted out of instinct. That's what we do."

Emily tugged on Kate's sleeve. "Can we go for pizza now? Mr. Castle said we could go for pizza."

Kate scooped Emily up in her arms. "I think pizza is just what we all need right now."

Castle led the way to Rockos, a pizza joint new to Kate. There was no wine list. There were no candles on the tables. There were, however, video machines, which Castle told Emily she could play after they ate. There was a buffet of pizza all ready to go, allowing Emily to immediately pick her favorite, which was unadorned cheese. Castle grabbed a couple of slices of sausage and pepperoni but Kate opted for the salad bar, nibbling thoughtfully at the greens. When she finished her pizza, Emily filled a child sized waffle cone at the automatic custard machine. Most of the treat disappeared quickly down her throat, the remainder being wiped off her chin with a paper napkin, by Kate.

Finally, Castle purchased ten dollars worth of tokens for Emily to use in the games. He and Kate sat at a table sipping refills of their soft drinks while Emily played. Castle took Kate's hand, making little circles with his thumb. "It hit you, didn't it?"

"What?" Kate asked.

"The lightning bolt. When you grabbed Emily from out in front of that idiot kid, it hit you. You love that little girl and you'll do anything, give anything, to protect her."

Kate put her icy cup down on the table, tracing patterns in the condensation. "I guess it did. I never expected that. I thought if it happened, it would be gradual, something I'd have to work my way into. But now I understand why you've always acted the way you have about Alexis; why you were willing to walk into a den of Russian spies to save her. I get it now, Castle."

"So I can tell our lawyers to put pedal to the metal?" Castle questioned.

"You can tell them to use a supercharger. Castle, let's give that little girl a real home as soon as possible. But you know Castle, I know you want to be over there playing, as much as Emily does. Why don't you go?"

"Kate, better still, why don't we go together? Loser owes the winner a kiss - or something more energetic."

"Castle, if that's the prize for the winner, it's like strip poker, there is no loser."

"That, my wife and mother to be, is just what I had in mind."


	41. Chapter 41

CBs

Chapter 41

Just as Castle's key was clicking in the door of the loft, Kate's cell phone buzzed. "Got it, thanks."

Castle tilted his head at Kate in inquiry. "Something tells me my prize from our video game battle is on hold."

"Let's give it some time, Castle. One of Lopez's teams was watching Tomov and they called in to report that he's on the move. For all we know, he's going shopping or to a movie. But if he leads us to his missing people, I want to be there."

I have a lot invested in this case too," Castle pointed out. "If you go, so do I. But while we're waiting, I'm calling my lawyer to tell him to put a rush on the paperwork about Emily."

"Great," Kate responded. "Hey, do you want coffee? I can make some."

"No, I think I'm already going to have to pee a river from Rocko's double size drinks, so I'll pass. I don't want to be looking for a men's room while we're on stakeout."

Kate laughed. "Maybe we should have saved one of those giant cups. Alright, do your thing - or your things.

The minutes dragged as Kate waited for an update on Tomov. "You know," Castle suggested, returning from his personal business, "in our relationship there's always been a tried and true way to make the phone ring: we start making out. Your detectives have always excelled at cop blocking, much to the pain of certain parts of my anatomy."

Kate sidled close to her husband. "You do have a point." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "In the interest of justice, you want to get it on?"

"In the interests of justice," Castle murmured, "I think we have to." Their lips met for a moment before Castle pulled back and listened. "We'll have to try harder." He brought his mouth to hers with more conviction, his hands cupping her firmly rounded derriere.

With a flexibility born of regular yoga practice, Kate lifted her leg, climbing his body. She moaned as the center of her arousal met his burgeoning hardness. Castle drew her even tighter against him and right on cue, Kate's phone signaled a call. She pulled away. "Looks like our plan worked, Castle," she said, retrieving her cell from her pocket. "Beckett." Kate listened for a moment. "Alright, text me the address."

Castle grunted. "I think I could have waited a while longer for justice to triumph. Where is Tomov?"

"A building up in Washington Heights not far from where the poker games were." Kate replied. "Ready to get up there?"

Castle tugged at his pants. "Poor choice of words, but let's go. No wait, hold up just a second," He ran back to his office and returned with a satchel. "Surveillance equipment. Parabolic mike, optical fiber camera. If you guys can't see in without a warrant, I can at least do some snooping as a concerned citizen."

"We should take separate cars then," Kate decided. "If you decide to do some reconnaissance, any decent lawyer could get anything you see thrown out of court if the captain of the 12th brings you to the scene."

The street outside the building was largely deserted except for Tomov's car. Detectives Ross and Carter had parked as far away as they could and still allow their night scopes could get a clear view. Kate parked even farther away, as did Castle. "Nothing happening," Ross reported to Kate.

As Kate leaned back behind the steering wheel, she wished for the more comfortable seats of Castle's luxury sedan. It could be a long night. Hours passed and she ran the heater periodically to stave of the chill of the dropping night temperatures. Tomov was still inside. Her phone dinged with a text from Castle. "Ready for me to do something?"

"Whatever you feel is appropriate as a P.I., she texted back, knowing full well it was possible her text might one day end up in the files of Vostrov or some other defense attorney.

Castle left his car carrying his satchel, moving on bent knees toward the building Tomov had entered. Keeping to the shadows as much as he could, he made his way to a side door. He slipped the 'J" of his fiber optic camera underneath and looked at his monitor, gasping in horror. Quickly removing the camera, he ran back to Kate's car. "Kate, there are people in there in chains. They're working at steel tables pounding out some kind of metal parts with hammers. It's horrible! Some of them can barely stand up. They look like they're ready to die."

"Castle, did you see Tomov? Did you see any weapons?" Kate demanded.

"Tomov is sitting on some kind of high stool watching. He's smoking a cigarette, but he has an AR-15 in his lap. We have to get those people out!"

"Castle, I will. I'm going to call ESU, a judge, and I'll get Espo up here too. We need to do this right or we could have a stand off with him using those people as hostages. Just hold on."

Esposito arrived before ESU did and he had Castle sketch out everything he'd seen inside the building. When the captain of the ESU unit arrived, Esposito and Kate met with him to formulate a plan. Small holes were quietly drilled in walls and more cameras inserted to afford views from multiple angles. Tomov still had his gun carelessly across his lap and looked half asleep. If he could be taken quickly enough, further harm to his captives might be avoided, but the strike would have to be lightning fast and perfectly coordinated. Locks were picked and cops with armor and shields covered every door, preparing to break through and confront Tomov with overwhelming firepower.

The ESU captain gave the signal. His squad breached the doors and surrounded Tomov from every side. The Russian tried to raise his gun, but he was too slow. He had no chance. He was informed by the squad leader that if he moved, he would die. He gave up without a shot being fired.

* * *

Tables had been carried down to the basement of the Old Haunt and pushed together for the case wrap-up of the CBs. The members were all there. Ryan took a swig of beer before addressing the group. "I don't get it. The guy, Yuri Tomov, why would anyone do anything like that? Starving people and keeping them in chains to do worthless manual labor, that's nuts!"

It's exactly the sort of thing that used to go on in the Russian Gulag camps up through the nineteen fifties and some believe beyond," Castle explained. "Prisoners were kept in conditions that would make Gitmo look like a luxury hotel. They had barely enough food to keep them alive. They were dirty and infected with lice. They were given minimal tools and almost no machinery to do hard labor, usually in the most inefficient way possible. Those camps were a living nightmare and a blight on the Soviet people. But Tomov didn't think so. He studied them. He liked them as a symbol of power that was lost to his people. So he set up a mini-camp of his own. He picked gambling patrons he thought were stupid or weak and kidnapped them for his own private hellhole. To use Espo's term, he's nuts."

"What's going to happen to the people he held?" Sylvie asked.

"They're all in the hospital," Kate replied. "They were in pretty bad shape. Even after they recover they'll probably need therapy for a long time. But at least they're all alive."

"Which is more than can be said for Trimp's victims," Esposito interjected. "Captain, do you have any idea when the trial is going to wind up?"

"Well Marcus Weller says that Trimp's people are desperately flailing around to pull some kind of a rabbit out of a hat, but they're almost out of witnesses, so he expects another week or two until final statements," Kate answered. "He'll be sending me a copy of whatever the judge schedules, so I can let you all know."

Castle raised a glass. "To Karma, may it make Trimp its bitch."

Drinks around the table were lifted in agreement.


	42. Chapter 42

CBs

Chapter 42

Kate put down her tablet with satisfaction after watching a video of Trimp being taken off to prison. "Castle, who was that on the phone?"

"It was the social worker who's been checking us out for certification as foster parents. The background checks, medical clearances, and our home study are finally done. Things are set for us to have Emily with us for pre-adoption placement. Unless you have some reason you want to wait, it's time for us to talk to her. Are you ready for this?"

Kate drew a deep, slightly trembling breath. "Actually Castle, the timing couldn't be better. The trial has taken forever, and then there was the appeal, but it looks like Trimp's finally going to be put away for good. Emily and her brothers will all have some closure. It's time for us and Emily to move ahead."

Castle dipped her, dance style and snatched a swashbuckling kiss. "So when?"

"It's Friday, Castle. We were planning to take her out this weekend anyway. We should talk to her tomorrow."

Castle kissed her lustily again. "Tomorrow it is. And tonight we celebrate! Where do you want to go? This may be our last chance in a long time for an evening out for just the two of us without having to worry about getting a sitter."

"Wow, Castle, I hadn't even thought about that. What did you do about all your outings with super models while Alexis was growing up?"

Castle laughed. "There weren't nearly as many of those as my readers were led to believe. And I was married for many of those years. A lot of that was just P.R.. And as you might recall, Alexis had a sitter who shed her cocoon and became a model. Never saw that one coming. But most nights I stayed in and wrote. Then when Alexis hit her teen years, she thought I was the one who needed a sitter."

Kate grinned, mischief dancing across her face. "I can understand why she thought so. I've had the same thought a number of times myself, but somehow you always seem to be a grown up when it counts."

"Yeah, I can send my inner child to his room when I need to, I just like to leave the door open."

* * *

Clinging to Kate's hand, Emily gazed with wonder at her first view of the loft. "Is this where you live?"

Kate nodded. "We do. We wanted you to see it because Mr. Castle and I want to talk to you about something."

Emily's lip began to tremble. "When my mother said she wanted to talk to me about something, she told me my Daddy had to go to Heaven. Then when Miss Beazley came to my school, she said it too. Then she told me my Mommy was with my Daddy. What happened?"

Kate gathered Emily to her in a hug. "Oh honey, nothing happened, except that Mr. Castle and I have fallen in love with you. We want you to come live with us, to be our little girl."

"Live here?" Emily asked.

"That's right," Castle confirmed. "You'd have your own room. Here, I 'll show you." Castle extended a hand to lead her upstairs. She followed hesitantly. Castle opened the door to Martha's former room. "This would be yours. We can paint it any color you want and you can pick out whatever furniture you'd like."

"There's a bathroom too," Emily noticed. "Is there enough hot water for me? Mrs. Perkins always tells me I use too much hot water."

"We have a big water heater," Castle assured her. "You can use as much hot water as you need."

"I love bubble baths," Kate added. "Do you?"

Emily nodded. "Before Mommy went to Heaven, I used the bubbles that come in the bottle with the princess on top. Mrs. Perkins just wants me to take showers with soap so she can get everyone out to school."

"You can have princess bubbles here," Kate promised, "if you want to live with us. Do you? Do you want Mr. Castle and me to take care of you now?"

Emily threw her arms around Kate, pressing her face into Kate's chest and silently bobbed her head.

* * *

Emily ran through the aisles at Children's Castle past children's caves and beds built into play centers. The Castles struggled to keep up. "What kind of a bed are you looking for?" Kate asked, panting.

Emily stopped short and pointed to a display featuring a pink four poster bed topped by a frilly white canopy. There was a matching dresser and a small dressing table with a bench upholstered in tufted pink velvet and also a little desk with matching shelves. She looked up at Rick. "Papa Castle, a princess lives there. Can my bedroom be like that?"

Castle lifted her into his arms. "Well I don't know. You think Liberty Bear would want to live there?"

Emily thought for a moment. "She would. She'd really like it."

"In that case, I like it too." Castle pulled out his black card and flashed it at an immediately attentive sales person.

After hot dogs at the in-store snack bar, Rick made sure a bouncing Emily was belted into her booster in the back of his car before he slid behind the wheel beside Kate. "Where are we going now?" Emily asked.

"Well it's still a little cold, but we're going to the beach, or near the beach. I thought you'd like to see our other house," Rick explained. "You might want to make some changes there too."

"Oh, I stayed in a cabin at the beach one weekend with Lilah, one of my friend's from school, and her parents. Lilah and I shared the bed 'cause there were only two bedrooms. There was only one bathroom too. Lilah's mother said it was snug. Do we have a snug cabin?"

Kate hid a laugh behind her hand."It's a little bigger than that. You'll see when we get there."

Emily used the car's Wi Fi to watch a movie on a tablet during the drive to the Hamptons and didn't notice the house until after Rick shut off the car's motor. Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened as she looked up at the manse. This time Kate didn't bother to cover her laugh. "It's big, isn't it? I looked at it the same way, the first time your Papa Castle brought me here."

"Can we really live here?" Emily asked.

"We can stay here in the summer when it's warm and when Mama Beckett doesn't have to be at the police station," Castle explained. "Do you want to see it?" Emily released herself from her seat belt and bounded out of the car. Castle looked at Kate. "I guess she does."

Kate noted that the tour Rick gave Emily was nothing like the one she'd first first received. Aside from the substitution of tumblers of soft drinks for wine glasses, Castle didn't mention a word about decorators or design. He just led Emily through the rooms and let her look. When they reached one of the guest rooms where Alexis' friends had often been put up, he told her it would be hers and she could decide what she wanted to do with it, but she had plenty of time to think about it.

Emily's brow wrinkled, already deep in thought, but accepted the mulling time Castle was offering. As with Kate's tour, Castle made the last stop the swimming pool. A fleeting regretful thought rolled through his brain that it would be unlikely he'd see Kate skinny dipping here again for a while, but swimming with Emily was also a joyful prospect. Castle retracted the solar cover so Emily could see the sparkling water. "Can you swim, Emily?" he asked making a mental note to assess the child's skills, no matter how she answered. It turned out it wouldn't be necessary.

Emily shook her head. "My brothers said they were going to teach me at the 'Y' this summer.

"You can learn sooner than that," Castle told her, "I know a great teacher in the city. She can have you swimming as well as the fish in the pond at the park by the time it's warm enough for you to swim here."

Knowing the traffic would be merciless, Castle was on the road soon after the tour was finished and Emily'd had a snack and a trip to the bathroom. "Papa Castle," Emily asked as Castle tooled toward the city, "can my brothers come and swim in the summer too?"

Castle grabbed for Kate's hand and squeezed it. "Of course," He assured the little girl. "They're family. We're all family now."

Finis

A/N This story could go on forever and I may revisit it, but for now I want to go on to something new. Based on an idea from 4fireking, I'd like to do an AU about what would have happened if Castle had a son instead of a daughter. It will be called _Ian._ Given Castle's fascination with a certain British spy, I'm sure you can guess why. I hope you'll join me in this next journey. Love, Sally


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